Midori the Queen
by BriRy18
Summary: Sequel to "Midori the Villain"- Izumi casts away her innocence and fully embraces her role as the "Queen of Villains." Without her trust fund to support herself and her followers she resorts to true villainy, all the while trying to avoid confrontation with heroes and her former classmates.
1. A Line in the Sand

**Midori the Queen**

**Summary: Outed as a villain, Izumi casts away her previous self and fully embraces her role as "Queen of Villains." Without her trust fund to support herself and her followers she resorts to true villainy, all the while avoiding confrontation with heroes and her former classmates.**

**Chapter 1: A Line in the Sand**

_"I won't make it easy for you."_

Play the villain until either captured or killed; that was the role Izumi Midoriya, AKA Karma had decided to portray. She'd spent months agonizing between her role as a hero and a villain, but now that ship had passed. She allowed herself to soak in the regret and guilt for the lies she told. She allowed herself the grief of losing her friends, classmates and dreams... but now it was time to accept her duties as Queen of Villains and act upon them.

Her first official duty was to ensure the financial support of herself and her followers. Without the trust fund sensei had provided her they would need to find some other way of gaining currency. The money she'd invested into the donation fund was enough for them to live on for a time, but expenses such as equipment, service fees, and information were expensive. If she was gonna lead this group of misfits, they would need to figure out how to raise their bank.

"Look at those wheels turn…" Dabi teased sitting across from her as she eyed the chess board. He watched her meticulously move pieces, all the while that sweet face remained passive and stern. "Whatcha thinking about so hard, highness?"

"Hmmm?" She finally gave him a brief glance, and switched her current move from the rook to the black knight. He found it both odd and endearing that she'd given him that particular namesake. It made him feel important and trusted. "Anything and everything all at once."

"Sounds tiring…" He leaned forward on the table and move his white piece to counter her move. "I wouldn't have the energy for something like that."

"Well it's not your job to think now is it?" She shifted her knight to capture his white rook and gingerly set it aside along with the rest she'd collected. She then eyed the black knight for a long moment as a stray thought entered her mind. "How long have you been a villain Dabi?"

"Not long." He admitted with ease. Unlike the other members of the league he was completely comfortable opening up to her. "I wandered around on my own for awhile did some mercenary work in America, and a bit throughout Europe. It was fine for awhile, but I wasn't really doing anything productive or worthwhile. In order to make my mark I know I'd have to make some kind of allies. Hence why I'm here serving you." He moved his knight across from her queen and made her lips twitch.

"Serving me, huh? Who really holds the reins of this group? I'm not sure it's me anymore." She retreated her queen to station in front of the king.

"Don't let what Shigaraki did and say affect you." His eyes went cool. "It's always been you pulling on his strings. His actions, no matter how surprising, are the results of your ideals."

"That might be how it started, but it wasn't my idea to expose All Might's secret like that. It wasn't my idea to fake my own death." She pointed out scowling.

"No, that was him, but you went with it. It was your decision to pull off the mask and reveal your identity to the world. We figured fake your death, cut your ties to the hero world, and the job was done… but you went a step further." He shifted the next piece and smirked when she had to evade to avoid capture. "You shifted his plan into your own. You chose to lay all the cards out and reveal yourself to the world. Now you're the most famous villain of all, the one who outwit the fools at U.A."

"You've a point there…" she smiled. "That reveal was more instinctive than a thought out plan. I have a bad habit of going into rambles and mutters when I'm excited, but I somehow managed to avoid that and came across as cunning and manipulative."

"You did, and no one saw it coming." He moved in for the kill putting her king in check, but failed to see the trap she had laid.

"I like a good surprise, don't you?" She shifted her queen again. Dabi blinked in surprise when he noticed she'd managed to cage his pieces including the king. "Checkmate."

"Damn, and here I thought I had you on the ropes." He smiled coyly and stood up leaning over the game to press a kiss to her lips. "You done thinking?"

"I'm never done thinking…" she murmured back, her eyes softened with affection. "I wouldn't be doing my job if I wasn't thinking."

"Take a break highness." He ruffled her hair and put the game away. "You've earned it."

"Have I?" She sat back and folded her hands together, thumbs twiddling in an old nervous habit. "Doesn't feel like it. Until I can solve our financial dilemma I've got plenty more thinking to do."

"We can always do what I did and find some mercenary work." He pointed out. "It pays the bills so to speak, and the work can be entertaining."

"I know I've done my fair share of killing, but I'd prefer to avoid it if I can." She said with a scowl. "Most mercenary work requires bloodshed."

"Well you could always sell your body…" he ducked the flying plate she'd flung with her quirk. "Just a joke, highness."

"Make that sort of lewd joke again and I'll toss you out a window." She threatened and aimed a smile as Tomura came down the steps. "Good Morning, My King."

"Good Morning, My Queen." He cupped her face with his gloved hands and kissed her firmly then eyed Dabi suspiciously. "I heard a crash, have you been misbehaving?"

"Not my fault her highness can't take a joke. I was trying to help her come up with a solution to her problem."

"Both of your solutions are out of my comfort zone." She tossed back irritably.

"Can we really afford to be comfortable?" He pointed out and eyed Shigaraki who now pat the top of Izumi's head as if to soothe the inner rage. "You've committed to being a villain so you'll have to toss some of those sensibilities out the window. Mercenary work can be helpful, and for the most part you can pick and choose the jobs within your small comfort zone."

"I suppose you've got a point… but we've an image to protect. There's not much to be said for the King and Queen of villains if we're taking orders from other people."

"In Japan, maybe, but what about other countries? Only Japan knows about All Might's weakness as the Japanese government has done their best to keep that secret underwraps. Which means the League of Villains is also being kept in a secluded part of the world. If you want to change things you need to start making a name for yourself in other markets and building up a reputation."

"Hmmmm…" Izumi rubbed her chin. "I hadn't thought of that. There's no point in only changing part of the world if the rest isn't going to follow suit."

"As intrigued as I am about branching out, just how do you expect the lot of us to leave the country? We're on high alert, and even Kurogiri has his limits in teleportation." Shigaraki pointed out.

"Not all of us have to go…" Izumi pointed out. "I can spend some of the donation money to buy a guise, and false identification for myself and a couple others." She looks to Tomura. "Would you mind staying behind and weeding through some of the newbies Giran will be sending in? According to Ace we're going to have plenty of fresh faces to build up our ranks, but I want us to comb through them carefully. Quality over quantity."

"Tch…" Shigaraki scratched at his neck irritably. "I don't like the idea of you leaving the country if I'm not going with."

"I'll make it worth your while." She murmured and nuzzled into him. "If you do this… when I get back I'll-" she leaned into his ear whispering seductive murmurs that had his face twisting in a sadistic and possessive smile. His hand wandered down firmly grasping her ass. "Deal?"

"Mmm deal… I'll put up with the world for a time so long as you come back and make true to your word."

"Believe me, my King." She nuzzled him. "I won't be gone long."

**~Two Weeks Later~**

"I gotta say, you look super hot as a redhead." Dabi tugged the red-orange curls laughing as it sproinged back into place. "Very American."

"Thank you. I'm happy that my english is somewhat good." Izumi spoke in her best possible accent, trying to avoid the rolling Ls her people were known for. She'd practiced with Ace for two weeks, using english at every availability. She wouldn't be able to pass as a born and raised American, but it was enough to have her fit in for the most part.

"You butcher it…" Dabi said in a far more believable accent that had her pouting. He wore long sleeves, a baseball cap, and had inherited Shigaraki's disguise that consisted of a shaggy black wig, glasses, and face mask.

"Screw you…" she fired back and had him chuckling. He glanced backwards at the other two who were accompanying them. While Toga's quirk would have been ideal for this situation, her personality and fear of flying ultimately had her staying put. Which was fine for Izumi as she'd be useful to Tomura by playing spy and informant.

Twice looked uneasy amongst the sea of people his face sweating but for the most part he passed off as a sane member of society. Then there was Mr. Compress who seemed quite at ease with himself in a nice dapper business suit and a slickback hairstyle. They were boarding the plane as strangers from different worlds, but would exit the New York airport together and prepared for anything.

They'd used Compress' quirk to stow away their weapons and costumes and Izumi had shifted funds into their alias accounts just in case they were separated.

"American currency is so expensive." She murmured, taking a look at her online funds. "We've only got a lil over a million each to play with but who knows how expensive tech and such is over there."

"I wouldn't worry. America is full of greedy and twisted tycoons who run the black market, but they also are the ones who end up hiring mercs in the first place. If we get one good job it'll set us up nicely for a time."

"So all we need is that one good job." She closed her phone as they all boarded the plane. She nearly slept through the entire flight waking up only to eat and catch snippets of the hero drama playing on the t.v. Twice and Compress behaved themselves,tl though Twice indulged in alcohol and went into a drunken sleep.

**~Several Hours Later~**

Once in America Izumi indulged in a wide eyed and tourist view of Manhattan, her eyes bright and excited for what adventures lay in store for her and her team. She stuck her head out a taxi window snapping photos with her phone and eyeing the sights and sounds of the bustling city.

"Kids are so easily entertained…" Dabi pulled her back in and ruffled the red hair nearling tugging the wig out of place. "Good to see you smiling though."

"I know we're here on business, but this is my first time outside Japan. Everything looks so bright and new." They pulled up to the hotel and she scampered out holding her arms up. "I love it!"

"Let's see if you love it once you've seen the night crowd." He warned and pat her on the rump as they head inside. Once in the room they regrouped with Twice and Compress and headed up to their joint suite they'd be occupying during their stay.

"New York City…" Twice yawned and flopped on the bed of the hotel room. "Big whoop… if you've seen one overpopulated city, you've seen them all." His head popped up, eyes wide and expressive. "I LOVE IT HERE!"

"Indeed, New York is so diverse in its attractions. I'd like to partake in a Broadway performance before we say goodbye." He loosened the tie around his throat while staring out the wide open window. The suite they'd rented sat high above the skyline overlooking the city and its bustling crowds.

"We can take a day or two to play tourist, but don't forget why we're actually here, Compress." Izumi reminded him and plugged in her laptop to get it charged and get access to the wifi.

"So says the girl who was sticking her head out with her tongue hanging out like a dog." Dabi mused and took the kick to his shin. "Ow."

"Not to worry, I'm nothing if not professional. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go shower off that dismal flight, then partake in some food. Call me if anything comes up." He flicked his hand hautily in the air and disappeared into the restroom.

"Well…" Dabi removed the wig scratching his itchy scalp. "He's certainly in character." He looked down at Twice who passed out on the bed choosing to snore off the time difference. "So's that one."

"Ah let them indulge… there will be plenty of work for them to do once we've set ourselves up." She sat at the provided desk and immediately went to work using the website Ace had sent her a link to in order to connect with the American Black Market. "Damn it's all in English…" She muttered trying her best to translate each line and furrowed her brows.

"Give it here…" Dabi leaned over her shoulder so their faces were close and typed for her. "You want to avoid bloodshed, and with the crew we have my suggestion is looking into theft jobs."

"You don't sound too thrilled with that idea." She muttered and leaned back to keep her face out of the way.

"Thievery is fine, as I'm better at covert operations than any hostile environments. It's just assassinations and hostile jobs pay a lot better."

"You said you spent time in America doing mercenary work. If it paid well then why did you go back to Japan?" Izumi asked curiously as she scoured through the job postings.

"Too expensive in terms of living conditions. Plus I got annoyed speaking English all the time." He started, and then sighed when she turned her head and gave him a raised eyebrow. "America has great food, freedom, and all that shit but it's such a mishmash of ethnicities and backgrounds that there's all kinds of unnecessary backlash. In order to keep people from discriminating each other they don't have as many rules or restrictions as other countries do, and a lot of people, not just villains just take full advantage of it."

"Isn't that a good thing in our line of work?" She nudged him into the chair next to her and turned her body more to face him.

"Good for us, but bad for the common people who are just trying to live." He rubbed his neck sighing. "The majority of the heroes here have given up on trying to control the situation or set any kind of standard, so they perform half assed and it pisses me off. I mean if you're gonna be a hero at least do your fucking job."

"I'm starting to see why you and I get along so well, Dabi." Izumi smiled at him. "It took me awhile to notice but you and I have very similar viewpoints about hero society. We don't necessarily hate them… we just feel those that call themselves heroes aren't living up to the standards they should. Like your father."

"Let's keep him out of this conversation, especially since we seem to be bonding." He took her hands cupping them between hers. "It's been some time since we've gotten the chance to be alone without Shigaraki lurking nearby."

"We're not exactly alone." She shifted her eyes to Twice who was still asleep on the bed.

"Alone enough for this…" he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. Izumi closed her eyes indulging in the firm yet touching kiss. When he pulled back her eyes slowly open and she let out a soft shaky breath.

"Dabi…" She could only say his name, hoping it was enough to keep him from delving deeper into her emotions.

"It's hard to tell that you're not even sixteen somedays. The way you talk, and present yourself you seem so grown up and mature." He rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. "It's ridiculously attractive."

"I don't understand you and Tomura sometimes." She gripped his hands to stop the seductive movement. "I'm not attractive or at least I'm not what many would call a beauty. I'm just plain, and ordinary."

"Yeah your looks are pretty textbook… but what makes you think it's your face that I'm attracted to?" He smirked at her bemused expression and pulled her hands to his lips kissing them. "Get back to work, highness. I like you best when those wheels are turning."

**~Back in Japan~**

The kids of Class 1A all celebrated having completed their final exams. While a few students did struggle during the practical portion where they were paired up against teachers, no one failed the written exam. As a reward the school would be sending them out on a summer camping trip for both fun and for training.

"This is gonna be awesome! We get a few weeks of relaxation for ourselves, and then we get to go camping!" Ashido bounced and hugged Yaoyorozu. "Thank you so much for helping us study, Yao-momo."

"Eh?" Her mind having been elsewhere Yao looked up flustered at Ashido and lay a hand on her heart "Oh of course it was my pleasure."

"You okay Yao? You seem distracted."

"Mmmm yes I was just…" she rubbed her hands nervously on the desk. "Well..." She lowered her eyes sighing. "I guess I'm just a little depressed. I didn't perform as well as I'd hoped in the final exam."

"You did fine…" Todoroki said standing up from his seat. "Our team passed thanks to your ingenuity. You should be proud of the job you did."

"Still…" She looked up at Todoroki. "I made so many mistakes, and kept doubting whether or not what I was doing was right. I still have such a long way to go to gain the kind of confidence I need to be a good hero."

"Take lessons from Bakugo…" Mineta suggested teasingly. "He can sure give you pointers in that department."

"Shut it, grape face." Bakugo popped a few explosions in his palm as a warning to Mineta. "Nobody asked you for your opinion."

"Geez that's harsh!" Mineta cried and shrunk into his seat.

"He does have a point though, Bakugo-san." Yaoyorozu stood up and approached him. "You performed well in your pair up with Kirishima and Sato."

"Those idiots were lucky that I was in their group. If I hadn't been there they would have rushed head first into a fight they couldn't win." Bakugo pointed out with a huff in Kirishima's direction.

"I cannot deny it." Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "You saved our butts, Bakugo."

"Kinda makes you wonder though…" Kaminari lounged with a grin. "You guys were the only team with three people on it. If Midoriya were still here we'd be even and you'd be teamed up with-" he drifted off as the room went silent at the mention of Izumi. "Sorry."

"Tch…" Bakugo turned up his nose. "Doesn't matter. No matter who I got paired with I was gonna win." He'd already lost twice to that stupid rabbit. No way he'd lose to anyone else, and he was NOT losing to her, again. "I'm going home, I'll see you losers later."

"Hold on, Bakugo…" Todoroki shouldered his bag and briskly walked up behind him. "I'd like to talk with you. Let's walk together."

"Whatever, IcyHot." He shoved the door open and let Todoroki close it behind him. "So what the hell do you want to talk to me about?"

"Do you have any plans for summer vacation?" He strolled up next to him, hands in his pockets.

"No, and why is that any of your business?"

"Some people from the Hero Committee approached me the other day. They gave me some free tickets to some kind of special event for heroes." He pulled out the tickets in question. "I thought maybe you and Kirishima might like to come with me. I don't really have any other friends I could ask."

"Lemme see that." Curious he snagged the ticket and narrowed his eyes on it. "All expenses paid… why the hell would the committee give these to you?"

"I came second in the U.A Sports Festival, and plus I'm Endeavor's son. They're extending invitations to heroes all over the world in order to increase the revenue and publicity of the event." He shrugged. "So, do you want to come?"

"I'd be an idiot if I didn't want to go, but it really bites that I have to get tickets from you of all people." He waved the ticket in Todoroki's face.

"Better me than not at all, right?" He took the ticket back and pulled out a piece of paper writing information on it. "Here's my contact info. Shoot me a text later and I'll send you the information so you can forward it to Kirishima. Unless you wanna bring Sero or Kaminari instead?"

"Don't be an idiot, Of course I'm inviting Kirishima first. Those other two idiots can find their own way."

"I'd hardly call Sero an idiot… but Kaminari is pretty dense, especially after what he just did. Everyone's mood was high because of the camping trip, but it really took a turn." Todoroki agreed holding his chest as it ached.

"Damn straight…" Bakugo snarled. "That stupid dunce face, I could kill him for bringing that bitch up."

"It's not just him. Yaoyorozu's been thinking of her a lot, using her as a yardstick for her own combat and confidence. I think all of us wish Izumi were here. Class just doesn't feel the same without her."

"That damn rabbit made her choice. She chose to be a villain, nothing we can do to bring her back." Bakugo huffed, refusing to admit he'd felt the same.

"Did she really though?" Shoto hung his head thinking of Izumi's farewell video.

"_I never wanted to be a villain." _

"It sounds to me like she didn't have a choice at all."

**~In America~**

Karma had spent three hours browsing through jobs on the black market network. She struggled through translations, poking Dabi whenever she didn't understand a term or phrase. A few jobs looked promising, but as Dabi had predicted they didn't really pay enough for her to get too enthusiastic.

"Maybe he's right… I may have to go out of my comfort zone." She sighed heavily and clicked on the next job listing… and paused when a phrase caught her eye. "Hmmm? What's this?"

"Did you find something?" Dabi rose from his chair and leaned over her shoulder. "I-Island? Where's that?"

"It's a secret island. All Hero related business companies invested in creating a city that was dedicated in the study and development of quirks. It's a man made island where all of the best scientists, and inventors live for the sole purpose of researching quirks and creating hero items."

"Sounds promising, but why do you have that confused look on your face." He poked her cheek and she slapped it away.

"As I said it's a secret island. It's mobile so no one knows where it's truly located at because it floats around the world. The only way to get access to it is through invitation and even then getting through customs is a bitch. No way a villain could enter without a high security clearance." She continued to mutter as she went over the job requirements. "Need help securing a very valuable item from the I-expo. Payment nego-" she paused as her brain started to connect dots. "I-Expo… hero items… HOLY SHIT THIS IS IT!"

She suddenly jumped up and slapped her hands on the desk.

"Wha? Huh? What happened?" Twice snorted as he sat straight up having woken from his nap. Mr. Compress entered from the second bedroom holding the book he'd been reading.

"Did something happen?"

"Oh hell yes," She turned smirking at her team. Excitement was coursing through her as the plan formed crystal clear in her head. "Pay Day is in sight boys. We're going to I-Island."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: I'm back bitches! Lolz. I'm a bad girl, I promised myself I wasn't going to work anymore on this until I updated my other stories but I've got so many people asking for the sequel, and my other stories are still in limbo as far as plot and development so I thought instead of remaining idle and working out the kinks I might as well release something everyone's been enjoying. I hope you all liked the first chapter and are looking forward to more. **_

_**Next Chapter: New Techniques**_


	2. New Techniques

**Midori The Queen**

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm glad you're enjoying the sequel so far. I had someone ask about my social media links. I don't really use it but I have an Instagram, just look me up as "Briry18" but my primary social media site is Facebook; just search for "Bri's Fanfiction" and I should be easy enough to find. I also have a deviantart account listed under "bmrdbgt." If you guys have anymore questions feel free to ask in the comments or PM me here on fanfiction. **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2: New Techniques**

"What do you mean someone already has the job?" Dabi narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure you translated correctly?"

"Yes." Karma said with annoyance. "He already hired someone named Wolfram who has his own men. He said if we want in, we have to negotiate with him."

"Son of a-" He grunted and kicked Twice who was easy access.

"Ow! Man that tickled!" Twice held his shin scowling.

"Did we at least get contact information for this Wolfram character?" Compress wondered, sitting cross legged on the bed and playing with a deck of cards.

"That's what I was getting at before I was so rudely interrupted." Karma narrowed her eyes at Dabi who turned his back to her and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I've actually already set up an appointment with Wolfram. Lucky for us he's centered right here in New York City and we'll be able to meet with him with little problem."

"That's good at least. So how should we convince him?"

"We'll start diplomatically…" She cracked her knuckles a finger at a time. "If that doesn't work then we'll resort to more forceful methods."

"The villain network runs deeper than the norm." Dabi pointed out. "It's possible he's heard of the league of villains before, and if that's the case he may not let us aboard."

"Huh?" Twice looked up confused. "Why the hell not?"

"Reputation…" Karma answered for him and pulled up her knee. "Like I mentioned before we left, those that know about myself and Tomura know we're not ones to follow orders or take the back seat to other villains. He will think we're trying to muscle our way in and take the reigns and refuse to let us in."

"So… we're screwed?" Twice asked comically giving a thumbs up.

"Not necessarily…" She stood up and walked to her chess board. She faced the black pieces and played with the top of the queen. "It's only possible that they know of our league… but just to be certain we don't have to introduce ourselves as such."

"What's your plan?" Dabi asked enjoying the calculating and devious expression on his queen's face.

"It's simple…" she turned the board around so she faced the white pieces. "If being the league of villains puts us at a disadvantage then we won't go in as the league of villains. We'll introduce ourselves as someone else."

"I see, an alias to cover our true goal. We go in simply looking to join a crew, while simultaneously completely our own separate objective." Compress gently applauded. "Brilliant strategy your highness."

"We'll need to come up with a group title, and temporary code names for this mission."

"Not me…" Dabi crossed his arms. "My looks aren't easily changeable as the rest of you. They already know me here and it's likely they'll just see through any disguise I put on. Besides, I've got a reputation for coasting through groups to earn my living so it's not a big deal."

"Okay, Dabi aside, the rest of us will need to come up with some alternative identities."

"Mine and Twice's should be simple enough." Compress explained. "We both wear masks so it's easy enough to find alternate ones that won't reveal our true identities. In terms of quirks we can change little facets of them so that our new "partners" have nothing to hold over us."

"Sounds good." She lifted up the red wig she used to get into the country. "As far as my look goes I'm set, but my quirk is pretty recognizable despite being flexible. I'll need to change things up."

"Even your weapon is recognizable now." Dabi hefted up the whips giving one a quick snap in his hands. "You'll need to come up with something alternative."

"The joys of popularity…" she said with a heavy sigh and then set the wig down frowning. "Hmmmm I want to find a training area… Compress your english is pretty good. See if you can track down someplace where I can do some private training. I'll need at least a few hours to work out some new techniques."

"A few hours?" Dabi raised a brow. "Don't you mean like a few days?"

"We don't have a few days. Our meet up time with Wolfram is tomorrow and I want to be prepared then for any boasting I may do." She pulled out her luggage and popped open a case. She removed several layers of clothing before pulling out a silver box that Dabi immediately recognized.

"Isn't that your hero costume from U.A? How in the hell did you commandeer that?"

"Oh I might've sent a little e-mail to our spy on the inside and have him drop it off at a discreet location for kurogiri to pick up." She gave a playful smirk and popped open the case admiring the material with affection. "Sensei and Tomura gave me this costume. It belongs to me, not U.A."

"Won't you be even more recognizable in this?" Dabi questioned lifting up a sleeve and eyeing the details of it.

"Not necessarily…" she glanced behind her at Twice. "It just needs a few little modifications, right Twice?"

"No way!" He held up a pair of scissors snapping it a few times and then a tape measure. "Leave it to me!"

**~A few hours later~**

Karma modeled off the new and improved costume. She'd known Twice was skilled at sewing, having done his own costume and plus having the basic knowledge of measurements and proportions for his quirk. Still she hadn't expected it to come out as well as it did.

She'd provided him with the materials he'd asked for, and within only a few hours he'd modified the costume so that it was almost unrecognizable with its edgy cuts in the legs and sleeves, crimson lining, and sexuality. It still felt incomplete, but she imagined adding a few weapons might spice it up. She used the straps Tomura had given her, attaching the throwing knives, and tucked a few diskettes in the pockets… but Dabi was right, she needed a new weapon.

She was a lot better in hand to hand than she had been before… but with so many muscle bound thugs, and shapeshifting quirks in the villain repertoire she doubted it would impress Wolfram. She needed to bring something new to the table, something exciting and threatening.

"Why not just stick with your telekinesis?" Dabi lounged against the wall of the big abandoned warehouse they were using as a training facility. "You didn't show it off much in those videos."

"No but I showed it off plenty at the Sports Festival, and that the entire world did see." She retorted and picked up a sword swinging it a few times before getting bored and tossing it. "I wish there was a way to change the properties of my quirk… like making it a different color, or changing the way it moved or…" she paused when he flicked flames at a rat that scurried too close. "The temperature."

"Hah?" He turned his attention back to her raising an eyebrow. "The temperature?"

"Dabi come here…" she held out her hand to him. He grabbed it and stood up with he and she stood in front of him holding his arm out so that it extended out in front of her. "When I say go release some of your flames."

"I don't see the point, but I'm not gonna complain about the positioning." He smirked and lay his head atop of hers. He laughed when she elbowed his gut.

"Be serious… now hold out your palm and just let out the fire in a steady stream, don't change the flow." She extended her hand next to his, her eyes going focused and sharpening on their parallel palms. "Now."

Not sure what she was getting at, but not wanting to question it, Dabi let out a small burst of flame keeping the stream steady as she requested. He watched her, so focused on his quirk that he nearly pulled back.

Suddenly he sensed the change. Her quirk began to join his… their energy mixing together forming a kind of spiral that spun and flowed more elegantly than his chaotic flames. He couldn't see her face, but he knew she was excited. He stopped the flames and she turned around eyes bright and face just beaming with excitement.

"That's it! That's it! It's perfect!" She hugged him tightly around the waist.

"Uh… good… I guess." He stroked the top of her head. "What exactly is perfect?"

"It's a bit messy yet, and it may take longer than a few hours but we still have enough time that I can work on perfecting it." She started to ramble and pace around as her mind and mouth worked at lightspeed. "I'll need Compress to go get supplies for us, and I have to go shopping myself for some accessories to complete the look, but it'll be worth it for this new identity I've created. I have the perfect name too! I never really got to use it since I was outed right after internships, but the name just fits!"

"Jeez slow down, Karma, what-" Dabi held his hands out trying to calm her down. She whirled on him that happy yet crazed expression doing things to his heart that he didn't care for.

"Not Karma… Phoenix." She took his hand again, and her eyes sparkled when he too the immediate hint and formed a fireball in her hand and she shifted its shape with her own quirk. "Black Phoenix."

**~Meanwhile in Japan~**

Tomura grunted as he paced the livingroom of the cottage. He would have to receive and go through a group of new hires later that day but for right now he was bored out of his skull, and irritated he didn't have Karma there to occupy his needs.

Kurogiri was no help, spending all his time either cooking, or going over things with Ace and Giran. The man was all business all the time and it was damn irritating. The only other person there was Toga and she…

He paused and gave the crazy girl a curious glance. She sat on the couch, eyes sparkly as she watched a horror movie on TV admiring the blood and gore that spewed on screen.

"Toga…"

"Hmmm?" She blinked and turned big bright eyes onto him. "Yes Tomura-kun?"

"Come here…" he crooked a finger at her. She hesitated at first but at his glare she immediately stood and skipped over. She let out a little yelp when she grabbed him by the neck and dragged her upstairs with him.

"Where are we going, Tomura-kun?" She blinked curiously and her face immediately flustered when he shoved her into his bedroom, closing and locking the door behind him. "Oh… wait… no I can't I'm not ready for this. In the first place I don't-" she held out her hands and waved them around frantically.

"Shut up, and transform into Karma." He stabbed a finger in her direction. "Do it now."

"Eh? Why? Won't Queeny get mad if we-"

"Do you want to die, Toga?" He held up his hand looking ready to snap the glove right off. She gulped loudly and immediately stripped in order to transform. Once Karma she stood and shifted nervously looking at Tomura with a flushed face.

"Okay… now what?"

"Now this…" He snagged her around the waist. Toga squeaked and squealed as she flopped back on the bed her eyes spinning as she tried to process what was happening. When all Tomura did was hug her waist and lay his head on her breasts she calmed some and looked down confused.

"Tomura-kun?"

"The breasts aren't big enough…" He complained and wiggled some to get comfortable. "Karma's are much softer."

"Eh? That… I mean… oh…" she stopped stuttering when Tomura drifted off and seemed to fall right asleep. "I'll work on it."

Curiously she pulled back some of Tomura's hair and admire his face. She hadn't thought about it before, but Tomura actually was really her type. He had scars she found intriguing, and he loved blood and violence just like her. She wished she'd kept her dagger on so she could cut him a little just along the face to further add to his appeal.

"Wow Queeny…" she whispered as her face went soft and affectionate. "Now I finally see why you love him so much." She stroked fingers through his hair and licked her lips. "He really is deliciously cute."

**~The next day: In America~**

"You sure this is the right place?" Twice scratched his head eyeing the rusty metal shop. His new appearance made him appear like a simple thug with a thick bandana over his head and another over his mouth. He wore baggy pants and a loose white T with a simple denim jacket over both. "Looks kinda sketchy."

"Which is exactly the reason I know it's the right place." Dabi insisted and shoved Twice through the door. "Get in, loser."

"Hey, hey, no pushing!" Twice demanded and stumbled inside with the rest of the group coming in behind. The workers inside all glanced up from their projects to look at them. They all shared a look of animosity at the group of characters and started coming together holding pipes and chains up in defense. "Whoa, whoa, we come in peace! Put up your dukes!" Twice held up a middle finger and squawked when Dabi snagged it and bent it backwards.

"Don't mind him, he's an idiot. I'm looking for a man named Wolfram. We've got an appointment." Dabi explained and the defenses lowered slightly.

"Yo Boss…" One of the men spoke with a sneer. "These clowns are here to see you."

"So I heard, Swordkil." Wolfram stepped up from the back, hands in the pockets of his jeans as he took stock of the litter. "So, you're the illustrious Inferno gang. I gotta say you're not at all what I was expecting."

"What were you expecting?" Compress, looking a bit out of place in a smokey gray tracksuit to encompass his new identity.

"I was expecting people actually worth my time… but half of you look like you've never left your grandma's house until now." He chuckled and folded his beefy arms.

"Don't judge by appearances…" The sound of heels clicking on the ground caught Wolfram's attention. He watched the young teenage girl come around her much taller group of men. "Talent lies beyond intimidation."

Wolfram's eyebrow rose in interest when he took in her appearance. The costume with its edgy cuts and crimson lining was impressive enough, but she'd paired the look with a duster jacket that matched Dabi's, but it had a bright bold phoenix on the back. Her hands were covered by gloves and seemed to have some kind of device that spiraled up the arms under the jacket.

"I recognize your voice and broken English." he pointed a finger at her. "You're the one I spoke to on the phone."

"Yes…" Izumi offered a coy smile. "My name's Black Phoenix… I'm the newest member of the group."

"At least you got some balls, kid." Wolfram laughed and looked to the others. "So what your newbie tells me you want in on my score. Why should I let you in when I've already got a perfectly good team to infiltrate with."

"Like Phoenix told you, our talents lie beyond intimidation." Compress explained and held out his hands, smoke surrounding the group covering their movements so that he and Twice vanished from sight.

"Pathetic, why don't you-" Wolfram started to comment and choked a little when he saw they'd knocked out several members of his crew in a span of only a few seconds. The only person "Huh… neat trick."

"If you think that's something" Twice cracked his knuckles. "Just wait until you see our big guns." He snapped his pointer fingers like guns all the while posing.

"Just because you can make yourselves useful doesn't mean I'm letting you in… but you have wet my appetite." Wolfram crossed his arms looking back at Izumi and Dabi. "So what about you two? What've you got to show aside from a big mouth."

Dabi flicked up his hand, blue flames lighting up at each fingertip.

"A fire quirk huh?" Wolfram eyed it with an approving nod. "Not many elemental types around here."

"If you like mine, you'll love hers." Dabi jerked a thumb at Izumi and she held up a hand shaking her head.

"Boss, you know I don't like to show off. It gets messy." Izumi played up the innocent act and had Dabi inwardly laughing. He always got a real kick out of watching her tie invisible strings around her puppets. As part of the ploy it was decided Dabi would play the role of leader as he spoke the most English and had the most experience in mercenary work. It kept Izumi's role small, so that she could manipulate them without revealing just how much power she really had.

"He won't be satisfied until you do…" He pat her shoulder and pushed her forward.

"Well if you insist, but remember this was your idea." She shrugged and stretched out her hands. Dabi looked to the crowd and motioned them to step back.

"I'd take cover if I were you. She doesn't have full control over it just yet."

On cue Twice and Compress took a dive under a thick table and Phoenix cut loose. The pads on her fingers turned red and she winced a little as fire jettisoned from her fingers and whipped around like puppet strings. The flaming strings cut through thick hunks of metal, the slabs falling and the workers scattering around shouting in surprise.

Dabi watched the fireworks with a nod of approval. For a technique she'd spent less than a day training on it had really come together. Her costume had been hastily modified to incorporate a flame thrower. The tubes that were hidden under her thick coat formed the initial flame from the tips of her gloves, and using her quirk she was able to funnel it like mini cyclones.

It was far from perfect… but he was confident that the intimidation and usefulness of her quirk would outweigh any small problems with control.

"That'll do Phoenix...I think you've proved your worth." He set a hand on Izumi's shoulder to keep her focused so she could cut the power successfully. "Better than yesterday and very effective from the looks on their faces."

"Well it be enough?" She rubbed her hands through the gloves, her fingertips burning from the display.

"Well let's see" he nods to the leader. Wolfram stood in his original position, the slabs of metal that had threatened to fall on him were instead floating above him. His eyes were crazed and his smile wide as he let out a deep gut laugh.

"Now that's impressive… You've really got a hand for destruction don't you kid?" He tossed the hunks of metal aside and walked up to Dabi holding out his hand. "You caught my attention, Inferno gang. You're in."

"Alright then…" Dabi shook hands with him then placed it on top of Izumi's head. "Wanna give us the run down? We've got the bare essentials of the mission, but we'd like some details if you wouldn't mind."

"Anxious are we? Alright, we'll start the meeting now." He whistles high pitched and motioned his crew in. "Alright you cowards, come out of hiding and let's do this!"

Machinery and debris was shoved aside, people giving her wary looks and keeping a wide berth which made her smirking satisfaction. Wolfram opened up a thick manilla envelope with varying contents inside: Several maps with instructions about pick ups and travel protocol, a burn phone with a single number on it and a wad of tickets to the I-Expo.

"Our client is David Shield and his assistant Sam." Wolfram explained and Izumi's head immediately shot up from the maps.

"THE David Shield? The winner of the Nobel Quirk Prize, and All Might's former and creator of all his costumes David Shield?" She started to go on and caught herself, her face going bright red.

"The same… you know your stuff kid." Wolfram laughed and tapped a finger on the phone. "This phone is our only lifeline with the man. We've got explicit instructions not to call from any other number."

"Which explains why we got the shove when we inquired about the job." Dabi murmured and got a nod from Izumi.

"Our job is to infiltrate I-Island and take hostage of the central tower. According to the information given to us all the big shots will be throwing a party and all located in one room. Everyone else will be scattered around the island either enjoying the attractions or enjoying the nightlife. We'll take the party hostage, and assumedly force Sam and Shield to dig up the goods for us."

"I see… but what about their security system and any outside forces? How can we be sure that the hostage situation won't be found out by the other heroes on the island?"

"Simple," Swordkil formed a blade and stabbed it into the table grinning. "Since we're being given complete access to the tower, we take control of the security system ourselves. To make doubly sure no one wanders in we'll announce there's been a bomb threat and announce to the island to remain where they are until the crisis has passed."

There were holes in that plan, Izumi thought as she held her chin and eyed the map. She wasn't sure what all his members quirks or skills were but with a security system that complex they might run into a few hiccups. Also none of them knew the real protocol the island followed. If they did things out of context then many people would get suspicious.

"So…" reading the atmosphere, Compress decided to ring in his two cents. "Just how much leeway are we being given in accordance to this plan? I assume you will remain boss and brain, Wolfram, but let's say you become out of commision. How should we respond in accordance?"

"My becoming out of commission is the least of your worries, smoke boy." He floated a hunk of metal and twisted it up until it was completely misshapen. "In any case, the main goal is to get the goods. If anything gets in your way, remove it."

"You heard him…' Dabi smirked at his team. "The goods come first."

"Right…" Izumi snapped out of her theorizing and mental questions. "Perhaps I'm just being paranoid, but it strikes me as odd that David Shield would want us to steal for him. With his connections and status as a top scientist wouldn't he have access to all kinds of technology? I mean he's even one of the leading scientists featured at the expo."

"Good observation, Pyro…" Wolfram complimented. "You're a smart one aren't you?"

"It's Phoenix, and no not really." She answered and had Dabi snorting a little. "Shut up."

"A smart ass at least…" Wolfram chuckled and leaned forward on the table. "I wouldn't worry about the whys of a job. After you've had a few they've stopped mattering. The thing he said that does intrigue me is the item in question. Apparently those that had been funding his research had decided to confiscate it. They were afraid it was too revolutionary and could have powerful effects on society. An item like that and manufactured by David Shield himself, is most certainly a high ticket item and worth a fortune."

"Hooo Really?" Izumi's eyes sparkled with intrigue and her lips quirked a bit. An invention that could change Hero Society? Now that sounded like a good investment. "In that case… when do we leave?"

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: So sleeeeepy! Graveyard shift is killin' me! I hope you all are enjoying the fic! Please leave comments and reviews because they gives me life!**

**Next Chapter: Unexpected Encounters **


	3. Unexpected Encounters

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 3: Unexpected Encounters**

I-Island sat in the middle of the ocean looking like a shining paradise. It was a large city that slowly but surely traveled the world, it's location a secret to prevent any villains from threatening the scientists or stealing their research. Any and all people who stood on its grounds were free to use their quirks providing they followed etiquette rules such as not harming the citizens or committing crimes.

It was quite ironic that Karma, now known as Black Phoenix to her temporary crew, had planned to do all of that and more. She wasn't sure what to expect from this place as she'd never stepped foot there… but she'd spent nearly a week preparing. She'd scoured the maps that had been provided, read and re-read the mission pamphlets and had even bought the guidebook of I-Island as well as the expo pamphlet. She studied and memorized key areas, highlighted certain exhibits and attractions she wanted to explore, as well as read up on her client and his associates.

David Shield.. There was a time when she'd admired him for his work. He was the top scientist in the world, his inventions and gadgets had been craved by so many heroes, not to mention the costumes he'd helped design. If given the chance, she'd like to meet him in person sans mission, but doubted it would be possible.

What sort of item had driven David Shield to hire villains to steal his research?

As the plane landed, herself, her team, and Wolfram's gang all unloaded and passed the security checks with the clearance codes they'd been provided. Standing at the entrance and wide walk way, Izumi tried to hold in her excitement and curiosity at seeing the massive island and its crowds while wolfram made the call to their client.

"We infiltrated without a hitch. When should we expect the goods to arrive?" Wolframs asked in a refined manner. For a guy who seemed to enjoy chaos and destruction, he knew how to put on the mask of calm calculation. Karma found it amusing. "Alright, we'll be there." Wolfram hung up. "The goods will arrive by 3pm at gate 66."

"That late?" Dabi crossed his arms. "It's only 8 in the morning, what the hell does he expect us to do until then?"

"We wait, apparently…" Wolfram shrugged it off and started leading his group down the stairs.

"Might I suggest we take a look around the expo?" Phoenix piped in trying to hide her hopeful expression. "It might be beneficial to get the lay of the land."

"No, we shouldn't wander too far away from our location. If we don't make it back in time it could affect the mission." Sworkil turned his nose up at her suggestion. He didn't care for the fact the boss had taken a shine to her, and took every opportunity to show her up. Phoenix pouted and glanced down at the tickets stroking a finger over it. What was the point in having previewing expo tickets if they weren't going to use them?

"Then let me go…" She suggested and stepped forward. "I can do some scouting and such, and I've memorized all the maps and primary mission locations so I can easily catch up to you if need be."

"You should do as your told…" Dabi set a hand on her head leaning in. "Don't let him ruffle your feathers, Phoenix."

"Ah let her go…" Wolfram turned to her and Dabi. "The kid's got a right to her curiosity. Let her have some fun."

"Really?" Her eyes went wide with initial excitement, then pulled back suspiciously. "You're okay with it?"

"Find out what you can then meet us by the gates by 2pm. If you're late we're moving on without you." He warned and looked up at the others in her group. "Dabi, take your crew and accompany the little lady on her excursion. Scout out and find out whatever information you can before heading back. Make sure you don't get separated."

"If that's what you want…" Dabi gave a casual shrug. He'd put the disguise back on, the shaggy black hair in his eyes, and face mask over his mouth. Both he and Izumi wore their dusters under casual clothes as they weren't allowed any weapons or items on the trip over. Their equipment would be shipped with the goods at 3pm.

"Double vision, Mister Smoke…" Wolfram looked to the other two. "Make sure the lady behaves herself and not use her quirk in public. We don't want anyone knowing what's about to go down.

"Aye aye!" Twice saluted him with his middle finger then wrapped an arm around Phoenix leading her away from the group and towards the expo. Compress casually followed behind, his hands in the pockets of his slacks. Dabi eyed Wolfram speculatively before walking after his crew.

"You sure that was a good idea boss?" Sworkill frowned after the Inferno Gang. "What if they get caught?"

"They don't have all the details that we do so it's doubtful they spill anything inconsequential to our mission. Besides we're already here… it's not like anything's going to stand in our way."

**~meanwhile~**

"You're in the way Icy Hot!" Bakugo shoved Todoroki aside as they lined up for the test courses. There were several attractions where heroes could show off their quirks in various ways, either through obstacle courses, puzzle mazes, and of course the villain course where you had to defeat a number of robots. Each course was timed and the participants competed for the top time and score.

"Patience is a virtue, man." Kirishima laughed and stepped up when Bakugo finished signing his name on the sheets. "Besides the courses don't open for another hour so we've got some time."

"Faster we get this done, the more time we can spend preparing for the events. I don't know about you losers, but I'm not going in unprepared and half assing it." He cracked his knuckles smirking. "I'll wipe the floor with their puny asses."

"Well that's unsanitary." Todoroki mused and let out a slow sigh. He was beginning to wonder just what had possessed him to invite Bakugo with him to begin with. He supposed it was because aside from Izumi, Bakugo was the other one of his classmates he'd gotten the chance to know better.

"Not to mention not very heroic… Hey thanks again for inviting me along, Todoroki." Kirishima pat his back. "This place is seriously awesome."

"Don't mention it…" Todoroki said with some reverance as he looked around and then to Bakugo who had suspiciously gone quiet. "Something wrong?"

"No…" Bakugo grumbled and adjusted his gauntlet. He'd been admiring the place as well. All the attractions, excitement, the hero celebrities, and exhibits… they were all things that reminded him of Izumi.

He had a clear image of her in his head; middle school uniform, those curly locks loose and framing her sweet face, big green eyes shining with excitement and awe as she meticulously took notes, or read the pamphlets provided.

"_Kacchan look! It's Godzillo! Wow I've only ever seen him in movies! This is great, I can't believe how lucky we are to be here." _

Shit! He thought with gritted teeth. Even her voice rang clear as a bell in his head.

"I can't believe I'm here! This is so awesome!" Her voice haunted him again, pitch perfect and so realistic that it shook him. When would that damn rabbit stop haunting him?

"Geez calm down, you're way too enthusiastic about being here." A monotone voice spoke as if responding to the voice in his head.

"Why wouldn't I be? This place is amazing! I never thought I'd be lucky enough to be here!"

Bakugo jerked to a halt at that and his head whipped around. For an instant.. Just an instant he thought he saw Izumi's bright excited expression amongst the sea of people. He started shoving his way through ignoring the grunts and shoves of other people as he made his way to the source of the voice.

He spotted a small figure with bright red hair suddenly cling to one of the older members of her group and drag him towards the Hero Items exhibit. As he stepped in that direction he felt a hand his shoulder and whirled around seeing both Todoroki and Kirishima panting and looking concerned.

"Bakugo, you're pale."

"Yeah, you okay man? You suddenly took off looking freaked. What's got you so spooked?"

"It's nothing I just…" He looked around again, his pale face and wild eyes frantically searching the crowd again for that redhead. "I thought I saw someone… but I was wrong."

_I was wrong… _He told himself again and finally controlled his breathing. Now he felt so stupid getting worked up. _I'm fucking going insane! There's no way she could get past all that security. Not even Usagi is that smart. Shit now I look like a fucking idiot! _

"Well so long as you're okay man." Kirishima patted both of their shoulders. "Come on, let's go back to the arena and blow off some steam. That'll take the edge off."

"Yeah…" Todoroki let out a calm breath of his own and looked out at the crowd where Bakugo had been searching. There was only one person who could get Bakugo that worked up, and it made his heart skip a beat to think that she might be there within reach hiding in plain sight. He peeled his eyes for anything that looked remotely familiar to him but spotted nothing. "Good idea."

**~Back with Izumi~ **

"Now this is what I'm talking about." Grinning ear to ear Karma scanned over the displayed hero items. The wide showroom displayed at least a hundred different exhibits all with their own unique use; Multi-purpose vehicles, protection suits, sense enhancers, weaponry, and more.

"Seems we've hit the jackpot…" Dabi murmured low and slung an arm over her shoulders. "What's the plan for getting the goods out?"

"Only way we can swing it is if we take it while we're in charge of the security system." She murmured back and glanced around getting a quick look at the security measures. "Twice, Compress…"

"Yes Boss?" Compress answered, pretending to read the description on the exhibit.

"Take a bathroom break…" She casually slipped a piece of paper into Compress' pocket and pulled Dabi to the next exhibit. Twice came in close as Compress removed the note and they both got a look at their orders.

_Divide and Hide. _

They shared smug looks and walked companionably to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later they came back out and wandered the exhibit casually and inconspicuously. When they finally rejoined Karma and Dabi they gave them a thumbs up to signal they completed their task.

"You sure this'll work."

"You doubt me?" She glanced up under her lashes and smirked confidently. "Relax… who could possibly stop us?"

"Ah Mirio-Senpai!" Uraraka's bright and chipper voice echoed through the room and had her choking on her own words. Her face went pale and she slowly turned her head in the direction of the voices, and her eyes went wide.

"Shit!"

"Ah! Uraraka, Jirou, Yaoyorozu… what a pleasant surprise!" Mirio, in full hero garb, stood in front of her three former classmates positively beaming. "I wasn't expecting to see you three here."

"My father is a shareholder in one of the companies, and I was given some free tickets so I could come out and represent him." Yaoyorozu explained.

"Yeah and since she had extras we were invited along. The other girls are here too but they couldn't come in for the early showing." Uraraka explained rubbing the back of her head laughing.

"I see, well this is wonderful. Oh-" He turned to the blonde next to him. "Where are my manners? Girl's I'd like you to meet my new friend Melissa Shield. Her father is one of the top scientists here and she's been giving me a tour."

"Ohhhh…" The girls shared amused expressions and had him laughing and waving a hand in front of his face.

"Friends, friends… Melissa I'd like you to meet some of my underclassmen. They're also students of All Might-sensei."

"Oh, so you guys are from U.A also?" Melissa beamed. "It's wonderful to meet you."

"Jesus fucking Christ…" Karma muttered under her breath and instinctively touched her wig to make sure it was on properly. "Of all the fucking people in the world, why did he have to be here?"

"Not just him…" Dabi whispered and pulled her closer to hide her better. "Sounds like All Might is here too. This doesn't bode well for the plan."

"We should get back and tell Wolfram." Compress suggested. "Question is how are we gonna get out of here without being spotted?"

"Huddle around, act natural and don't rush." Dabi instructed and pulled Karma… no… Izumi along. One look at her former classmates and upperclassmen had shifted her into the persona she'd tried so hard to cut herself off of. This really didn't bode well for them. They needed Karma in top form to pull off this heist, and they couldn't afford any careless mistakes. "Snap out of it." He demanded and gave her a little shake.

"I'm fine…" She shoved him back a little, swallowing hard as she felt her mouth go dry. They passed the group, none of the students even giving them a second look. She let out a calm breath and held her pounding head. "I'm fine… but damn if I couldn't use a drink. I'm gonna go grab a water from the cafe."

She started walking in that direction, the boys hanging out in the shade and wiping sweat from their own brows at the close call.

"It's fine, everything was fine. There's no reason to panic." She told herself and stepped up to one of the wait staff. "Excuse me, can I get a water?" She spoke in her broken english accent. She sat down and lowered her head to rub at her neck. A few moments later a glass was set in front of her. Instead of the water she'd asked for, an expensive looking soda with whipped topping and fruit was set in front of her. "Uh I didn't order-" She started to complain.

"No worries pretty lady, it's on the house." A familiar voice spoke and had her blood running cold. She risked a glance up and got a brief look at Kaminari and Mineta before quickly averting her gaze away. THEM TOO!?

"Oh, uh, well…" she cursed under her breath and fidgeted. "Thanks."

"How hot is she?" Mineta whispered to Kaminari. "Dressed like a punk, but so adorably shy."

"Totally my type…" Kaminari agreed trying not to drool.

You idiots realize I can hear you right? Izumi thought with an irritated eyebrow twitch. Damn fucking perverts.

"I appreciate it, but really just water is fine." She shoved the glass away and kept her head turned down and body twisted slightly away from them.

"Relax it's our treat…" Kaminari scooted the glass back to her, then tilted his face low trying to get a look at her. She shifted and grunted when he shifted with her. "Hey, have we met? You look familiar."

"No, not familiar. We are strangers, and you're creeping me out. Please go away." She snagged the soda and sipped at it to appease them and waved her hand away. "You have other customers, go bother them."

"Hmmm? Hey come on don't-"

"Kaminari! Mineta!" Uraraka called out to them as she, the girls, Melissa, and Mirio all took a seat to get acquainted. "What are you guys doing here?!"

Izumi tensed up and nearly spilled her drink. She let out a sigh of relief when Uraraka's call diverted their attention long enough for her to gulp it down and take off.

"Thank Christ…" She spoke in English and sighed heavily holding her heart. "Now I can-"

"Kaminari! Mineta! What are you two doing slacking off!" Iida rushed by her and she squealed spinning around and covering her face. Luckily he ran right by her and to the two perverts giving them a piece of his mind.

"What the fuck!? What the actual fuck?" Iida was here too? When she had given her classmates the challenge of tracking her down and finding her she hadn't expected them to just suddenly pop up here of all places. This had to be some kind of sick joke fate was playing on her. Or maybe it was a test of her patience and resolve. Either way it was nuts, it was all fucking nuts! "Is all of UA at this stupid expo? Who else could I possibly…" an explosion ripped out and made her heart stammer. She looked out at the arena and her eyes went wide with shock and realization. "No… no no no no no NO!" She rushed off towards the location of the explosion.

Dabi saw her make a dash and immediately raced after her with the other two on his heels. He watched as Izumi shoved past people and ran straight to the metal bar to look out at the villain course. Kirishima's face graced the big screen TV, his body fully hardened and sharp teeth bare in a wide smile. Seconds later Izumi's heart did another tumble as Bakugo walked up to take the course. She watched as he obliterated the robot opponents in a flurry of fifteen seconds and had the crowd roaring and announcer in ecstatic shock.

"Kacchan…" She felt her knees start to give and Dabi hauled her up and pulled her aside as Iida and Uraraka's group quickly came up from behind.

"The hell are you doing? You're going to get spotted." Dabi shoved her face mask back on and turned her away from the event. "We can't stay here. If your old classmates recognize you, then you can forget about our score."

"Why are they here, Dabi?" Her voice shook with fear and panic. "Why are they ALL here? Ura-chan, Iida, Senpai, Kacchan, and-"

"KYA!" The announcer squealed as Todoroki took the lead with an impressive mountain of ice destroying all his opponents in one flashy move. Izumi's eyes went wide and she slowly turned to look at it and then down at Todoroki. Just seeing him and Kacchan… seeing them together and butting heads brought back all kinds of emotions inside her she thought she'd killed and buried away.

"Let's go…" Dabi snagged her arm and shook her. When she just stare blankly and fearfully down at her feet he grit his teeth and smacked her once across the face. The move had gained some attention of nearby people, but it had been enough to snap her out of the daze.

"Ow…" She held her cheek and let out a long calming breath before looking up into his hard blue eyes. "Thanks… I needed that."

"Don't ever make me do it again. I'm not into that kinda shit." He yanked her along. "Let's go."

"Yeah…" She sighed heavily and took one more glance back at her old classmates. When they went back to the main entrance Izumi bowed her head a little in apology. "Forgive my behavior, Seeing them here just caught me off guard is all. I panicked"

"It's understandable considering our mission just got a shit ton more dangerous." Twice pointed out then pulled her in for a noogie. "You little shit what the hell were you thinking?"

"Ow! Damn it Twice let go of me!" She shoved at him and readjusted her wig. "I told you I lost my cool. I'm back now… and you're right our mission just got more complicated." She sat on the stairs and bit her thumbnail. "We need to tell Wolfram about the potential threat to the plan… but how do we do that without revealing who we are?"

"Easy, we don't tell him."

"What?" Izumi looked up at Dabi.

"The plan is to gatecrash a party full of supers. He's already planning to take on pros so some adolescent knuckle heads won't be an issue."

"Hey those adolescent knuckleheads are a lot more powerful than you give them credit for. Kacchan and Todoroki alone can take on Wolframs band of thugs no problem… and Senpai?" She shuddered. "He's All Might's successor, and so powerful. I've taken him on personally and he's beaten me effortlessly every time without using the full extent of his power."

"That's if they're prepped for a fight, which they're not. They're gonna be in dress clothes, no costumes or items at their disposal, and caught off guard. This island has one of the top security systems in the world and it's gonna get flipped on them which adds to their disadvantage."

"That might work on the others… but Senpai is another matter entirely. Those antiquirk strips that Wolfram talked about may not work on him. His quirk is permeation, and he's made it so powerful it's like he can teleport and be anywhere he wants. His mind, his skills, his physical prowess are leagues above most pros and he has All Might as his supporter." She stood up and crossed her arms. "No… we can't afford to let him anywhere near the party."

"Okay, so then what do we do? You just said you can't take him down in a fight." Compress asked looking both irritated and worried about their situation.

"I don't have to fight him…" She said suddenly, an idea springing into place when she spotted some waiters bringing food into one of the back entrances of the hotel. "I just have to outsmart him."

She pat Dabi's shoulder and motioned the others in close.

"All of our weapons are in that caravan right?" She asked compress who gave her a nod. "Alright then here's what we do. Let's meet up with Wolfram to collect our gear, we'll tell him the potential threat and then we-" She whispered the rest and lay out the plan. At the idea Dabi let out a small snort of laughter, Compress a curious brow raised, and Twice an awed sparkle of interest and two thumbs up.

"You would come up with that plan." Dabi teased. "You sure you can handle him alone?"

"Like I said…" She playfully spun one of the red curls around her finger smirking at him. "I don't need to fight him… just outsmart him."

**~meanwhile~**

Wolfram called his contact to give an update on their progress. They'd put the bodies of the knocked out guards into closets completely unharmed as promised. The shipment at dock six contained all their weapons, costumes, and gear for the heist.

"Hmmm All Might is here?" He raised a brow when his contact told him of the unexpected guest on the island. After a moment of thought he just let out a short pithy laughed. "Doesn't matter, we'll go according to schedule."

He hung up and looked up as the Inferno Gang finally joined in. When they told him of another potential threat and their plan to efficiently take him out he gave a shrug.

"So long as your stupid plan doesn't mess up mine, you can do as you like." Wolfram pat Pheonix on the head earning a little warning growl he found adorable. "Just be sure you take care of him quick and easy little red."

"Trust me." She bat away his hand and hefted up the silver case with her secret weapon inside. "He won't know what hit him until it's too late.

_**~Ask Briry~**_

**Briry: Sorry for the long delay in posts. Work has been a bitch and a half, but lucky for me I've got tonight and tomorrow off so I've more time to write and update. I've had more requests about my instagram account, and I wish I could just share the links to it along with the links to my fan page on facebook and photos on deviantart but FFNET won't let me *pout* at any rate you can search for Briry18 on Instragram. I should be easy enough to find. I'd love any and all fanart that was inspired by my fics. It brings me a great deal of honor and joy to know you guys enjoy them that much. I'll be sure to share them on my media sites and provide proper credit to the artists and if you guys have links to your other works I'll be sure to share those as well. I'm grateful for the support! **

**Next Chapter: Karma Vs. Lemillion **


	4. Karma vs Lemillion

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 4: Karma vs. Lemillion**

Mirio stared at himself in the mirror fussing with the tie of his suit. He didn't often dress up, but when he did he preferred to look his best. He wished he could have worn his costume, but All Might had made it clear that he would make a better impression this way.

He wondered what sort of heroes and people he'd get the chance to mingle with at the party. It was a wonderful opportunity for him, he knew, to gain contacts in the hero industry and built up a good reputation amongst others in the field.

"Just about ready…" He murmured to himself and slicked back his hair aiming a beaming smile at his reflection. "There, done!"

A knock on the door caught him off guard. He turned and walked to the door and pushed his head through smiling at the person on the other side.

"May I help you?"

"Kya!" The maid jumped at his sudden appearance, fumbling a little with the tray in her hand. She managed to not spill the contents and flushed lowering her head with embarrassment. "Oh my you startled me. Forgive the intrusion sir, I was told to bring this to you."

"Ah, I see…" he pulled back and unlocked the door before opening it to her. "Thank you so much, miss."

"It's no trouble at all sir." She kept her head down. "Would you like me to set it down inside?"

"No, that's okay, I'll take it." He took the tray from her and bowed graciously. "Thank you very much."

"You're quite welcome. Please enjoy." She hurried off holding her face. Mirio looked after her for a moment, curious as to why she seemed so nervous and determined to hide her face. Little warning bells went off in his head, but he shrugged them away deciding to investigate the tray rather than the girl.

He kicked the door closed with his foot and set it down on the little table by his couch. Chocolates, he noted, a big box of them along with a glass of sparkling cider, and vase with a single rose in it. Under the box of chocolates was a note and he curiously picked it up and flipped it open. His heart stopped and his eyes went wide at the message he read.

"_Good to see you again, Senpai."_

"It can't be…" He whirled around and resisted the urge to use his quirk to jump through walls to go after the maid. Instead he burst through the door and ran down the hall after the maid hoping to catch her before she got too far. Turning the hall he spotted her about to board the elevator and he zipped straight snagging her by the shoulders and whirling her around. "You!"

"Kya!" The maid turned around. The sweet faced brunette looking startled and shaken. "I'm, I'm sorry sir… did I do something wrong?"

"You… You're not her…" he relaxed and released her sighing. "Forgive me, I thought you were a friend of mine. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"It, it's okay…" she held her cheeks laughing nervously. "She told me you were eccentric. She was right."

"Hmmm? She?" Mirio's eyes narrowed.

"Yes, the young woman who asked me to bring you those chocolates. She said to be careful because you're quite eccentric and unpredictable. It made me nervous. I'm sorry if I offended you before when I didn't greet you properly."

Mirio's blood ran cold and he quickly let go of her and raced back to his room. He found Izumi, in full Phoenix gear, lounging on the couch with the box of chocolates opened. She popped one into her mouth and arched her head back to smirk at him.

"You left the door open, Senpai. How careless of you."

"Izumi…" He closed the door and raised a fist, eyes going fierce.

"Oooh such a scary look." She sat up and crossed her legs smiling sweetly at him. The look of innocence clashing with the hard and villainous attire. "Relax, Senpai… I'm not here to hurt anyone." She held out the box of chocolates as if to offer him one. "I just want to talk."

"Why do I not believe you?" He crossed his arms his eyes a little more fierce. She shrugged at his refusal.

"You and I both know that you're stronger than I am." She took another chocolate from the box and popped it into her mouth chewing it slowly before speaking again. "Which is why you haven't attacked me yet. You're curious as to why I'm here, why I approached you of my own accord, and how I got on the island in the first place. Am I right?"

Despite the tension of the situation, Mirio found himself smiling at her. Clever as always, he thought, and twice as bold. Whether she was assuredly confident, or putting up a front, the fact that she sat so casually and spoke to him with intellectual calm was a testament to her skill.

"Those thoughts have crossed my mind." He admitted and folded his arms. "Am I going to receive those answers?"

"That all depends on you." She smiled back at him, though hers was a bit more twisted. "If you play by the rules of the game I'll be more than happy to oblige."

"Game?" He raised a curious brow.

"That's right…" she stood up, picking up a case she'd been hiding behind her. She lay it on the table and opened it up to reveal a chess board and the game pieces inside. "There's no way I can defeat you if we fight normally, so I'm suggesting a battle of wits as a more even playing field." She sat at the table and started setting up the pieces. "As we play I'll answer any questions you have for me… So long as the game is going I will willingly give you any and all answers. Win or lose you get the information you want."

"Okay…" He leaned over the other chair, watching her set up the pieces. "I'm waiting to hear a catch."

"Here's the catch…" She lifted up one of the panels in her case and held up a pair of quirk restraining cuffs. Mirio took them and examined them. He'd been interning with Nighteye long enough to tell they were the real deal. "We stay cuffed together during the entire match. If you win I'll hand over the key to you. However, if I win I get to leave and you pretend you never saw me. Deal?"

"I see…" He finally took a seat and scooted closer. "Sounds like fun. I've only played chess a few times with Sir, but I've got the basics down. Are you any good at chess?"

"Is that your first question?" She set the last piece in place. She faced the black, and he the white indicating their opposing sides. "If so, then we're about to find out. White moves first."

"Alright…" He obliged being cuffed to her. As a test he tried using his quirk to phase out of it… found he couldn't. In terms of physical strength and size he still outmatched her so if she tried anything funny he could handle her, he was sure. As he moved his pawn in place, he watched her casually reach for a chocolate and bite into it. "Didn't you give those to me?"

"Yes, but as you displayed earlier you don't trust anything a villain offers to you." She moved her black piece in turn. Her eyes flicked up when he reached behind him into the minifridge and grabbed a water bottle. "I figure why waste good chocolate and cider?"

"Good point…" He took a swig of water and set it out of her reach. He wasn't taking any chances, she noted. Despite that his happy expression never faltered. He eyed the board, meticulously trying to figure out what strategy to use. He decided simple and strong was best. Since he had the advantage of first attack he took the black pawn she'd left open and set it aside. "So I guess my first question would be how did you get here?"

"On a plane…" she answered sarcastically at first but then continued after shifting her next piece. "There's only one way to get access to this island, Senpai. You have to be invited."

"You were invited to the island? By Who?" He glanced up at her face, she kept her focus on the board, but he saw the smallest of smiles twitch at her lips.

"David Shield."

"What?" His hand fumbled, and his rook fell forward from the space he'd moved it to. "Why would he invite you here? Doesn't he know that you're a villain?"

"It's not as if I know him personally, Senpai." She leaned her cheek onto her knuckles. "I'm here as part of a group that was hired by him. I can't go into too many details, unless you force me to, but essentially we were hired to liberate something that was stolen from him."

"I see…" Mirio's happy expression dimmed at that information. "Melissa really looks up to her father. She'll be very unhappy to know he's stepped onto that dark path."

"I agree that he's stepped into territory that he has no business being in. Which is why I'm so avidly curious as to what this item is. It has to be super important to him for him to go this far to attain it again." She took his knight with a quick flick.

"You don't know what the item is?"

"Nope, I just know it's very important to him." She reached for another chocolate and licked her lips. She strained a bit against the cuffs so she could lounge back in her chair. "To save you a question, the reason why I'm here is to get paid. Without my inheritance I'm running low on funds, and being a villain is expensive. The check for this particular job was fat and requires little to no bloodshed."

"You're trying to validate your reasoning for doing this, but the end message is still the same, Izumi." He slapped his bishop over her rook, taking it with a glare. "A crime is still a crime."

"I'm a villain, Senpai." She snagged the bishop with her queen, leaning in with a sinister smirk. "Crime is in the job description."

"You don't need to be a villain." He tugged on the cuffs slamming his next piece down with another rough flick. "You're a good person, Izumi. You've made mistakes and been lead astray but you're a truly good person."

"That's not my name. You're searching for a naive child that no longer exists, Senpai." She squeezed the hand cuffed to hers, eyes going wide, and the pupils going small. "My name is Karma. Whatever was left of that pathetic little girl died."

"If that's true then why are you here?" He squeezed back, her knuckles cracking under the force of his grip. "Why risk coming to talk to me? Why tell me about your mission and letting me know about your presence here? Why take such a huge risk?"

"You can't win a game without risks, senpai." Her smile turned twisted again at the crack of her knuckles. "Not when your opponent is so strong. You and All Might are too powerful to take head on. I'm not strong enough, my comrades aren't strong enough. If the plan goes down the way it's meant to then there are too many people here who could thwart it."

"Then…" he started to argue but she cut him off by slamming her next piece down.

"This was the only way, Senpai. The only way I can assure that I can get myself and my comrades off this prison island without being caught. If I win this game you will go to the party, and when the fun starts you will play along with David Shield's plan and be taken hostage. You won't interfere, you won't help others interfere. Those are the conditions for this risk."

Mirio narrowed his eyes, noticing the nervous and desperate look on her knew what she was up against, she knew there was no backing out of what she'd gotten herself into, and she was trying to find a way to escape without capture.

Well, that just wasn't happening.

"I'm sorry, Izumi." Mirio placed his knight in check with her King. "As a hero, I can't allow any villains to escape." He watched her eyes flick down at the board, a shallow gasp escaped her throat. "Especially not you."

"Damn it…" she grit her teeth. "Basics my ass…" She jerked up when he stood, their hands still cuffed together. He held his hand out for the key and she belligerently obliged shoving it into his open palm.

"Well now, that was fun. I wish all villains could understand the grace of defeat as easily as you do."

"You beat me fair and square…" she whispered and hung her head. "You got the information you wanted, and the key to the cuffs."

"Yes, and now you'll make good on your part and-" he twinged as his head started to pound. He stumbled a bit and held it in his free hand. Izumi's defeated expression immediately changed.

"Something wrong, Senpai?"

"M-My head… what did you do to me?" He stumbled back into his chair, dragging Izumi with him. She leaned into the drag, bracing her arm on the back of his chair and smiling sinisterly down at him.

"What are you talking about, senpai?" She tilted her head to the side and leaned in nuzzling her lips over his ear. "I offered you chocolates and cider… but you wouldn't take them. You did this to yourself."

"What?" He looked around and his shaky hand reached out picking up on of the chess pieces. The thought immediately struck him. "The poison…"

"I took the opportunity while you were chasing down that maid to put the spray toxin a little bit everywhere. On your bed, in your clothes, on counter surfaces… even in your fridge." She held up the water bottle smirking. "The chocolates and cider were the only safe things in the room, and I laced them with anti-toxin just to be on the safe side… and since I knew you wouldn't be stupid enough to accept them, I just helped myself to the cure."

"You really are too smart for your own good." He laughed a little and grit his teeth fighting against the dizziness and fatigue. "You outsmarted me...but I still won't let you win." He shoved her back before putting the key in his mouth and swallowing it. He then bunched his fist and struck out at her. She used her small stature and his fatigue to her advantage, leading him stumbling around the room as he tried to hit her. One good swing and he would have her unconscious

"You know…" She pulled up one of her throwing knives her eyes going cold and annoyed. "Maybe you really are stupid." She flipped and strained the cuffed hand around his back and tackled him. "The toxin is not going to kill you, Senpai, but it'

s going to knock you out for awhile." She pressed the knife to his back. "If I really needed the key, I could gut you while you're sleeping and you couldn't do a damn thing."

"You wouldn't kill m-" he trailed off, his eyes already drooping as he struggled to remain awake. "What do you mean if you needed the key?"

"One of the first things All for One taught me…" She grit her teeth as her wrist dislocated, and she wiggled her hand free of the cuffs before popping it back into place. "Was how to escape from a pair of handcuffs."

The moment the cuff came free he bunched his muscles and tossed her off with a violent jerk of his body. She flipped up and over him her quirk vibrating around her. She used it to block his oncoming tackle then wrap him up like a mummy with the sheets from his bed. With the sleeping toxin heavily I diced there she held them tight keeping a firm grip to asphyxiate him. He continued to struggle, trying to wriggle free. Sweat pooled down her temple as she focused hard on the task at hand.

His movements slowed and slumped and she waited a beat before releasing him. She double checked to make sure he was out and let out a sigh of relief. Feeling the affects herself she picked up the cider to down the contents and right back the sleepiness.

"You really are a hell of an opponent, Senpai. No way I would have taken you in a fair fight." She tossed the flute against the wall where it landed with a satisfying crash. It irked her that she had to resort to such underhanded methods...but it couldn't be helped. "Still I win this little power struggle. So take a well deserved nap. " Her lips curved again and she gathered up all the evidence of her presence. "When you wake up, this will all be over."

**~Meanwhile~**

Todoroki walked in between Bakugo and Kirishima, eyeing his phone and scowling at the time.

"We're late. Iida's not going to be happy with us."

"Tch," Bakugo clicked his tongue and shrugged. "Let him be upset, I don't give a damn what that four eyes says. I didn't want to go to this stupid party to begin with."

"Oh come on, don't be like that man." Kirishima slapped his palm against Bakugo's back and grinned. "We get to pig out on free food and meet some real high class people. A lot of these guys are investors in hero stuff. There's no harm in it."

"He's got a point, Bakugo. Aren't you still aiming to be the number one hero?" Todoroki put in and shoved his phone back in his pocket. "These are people you're going to want to make a good first impression with. You'll need their support to be on top."

"As if, the number one spot is all about strength and popularity. Who cares what these old prissy farts have to say?" He tugged on his tie grunting. He really hated wearing a suit. It was so damn suffocating.

They reached the elevator and took it down to the lobby where they spotted Iida, Kaminari, and Mineta waiting for them.

"You're late!" Iida complained and both Kirishima and Todoroki eyed Bakugo who turned his nose up.

"Whatever… let's just get this over with."

"We're still waiting on the girls and Mirio-Senpai" Kaminari explained.

"I'm certain Senpai has already gone to the party as he is expected to meet up with All Might. As for the girls they should know better. Six thirty means six thirty!" Iida grumbled and folded his arms looking miffed.

The elevators opened again and Uraraka got off first looking pretty as a cupcake in pink and flowers. Bakugo's brow twitched a little. Round face sure cleaned up well, he noted. As did the other two when he noticed them getting out of the elevator.

"Kinda makes you wonder…" Todoroki murmured, and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Hah?" Bakugo raised a brow. "Wonder what?"

"No, never mind." He lowered his head eyes closing as he tried to picture Izumi in formal wear. He imagined her in something long sleeved and hugged… something that shimmered with just a hint of color to accent her eyes. Wishful thinking, he scolded himself. She was a villain now. Even if she managed to sneak onto the island, he doubted she'd be anywhere near a party full of pro heroes.

_**~Back with the Villains~**_

"You're late…" Wolfram and Dabi scolded together immediately and had Phoenix laughing.

"Yes, sorry about that." She rubbed the back of her head. "Took awhile for the Toxin to kick in… but he's down for the count."

"What about you?" Dabi tugged on one of her curls. "No side effects?"

"The Anti-toxin is working like a charm. I don't feel a thing." She smiled confidently. It also probably helped that she'd spent the last twenty minutes washing off any possible residue left from the toxin off her costume.

"Good… Sworkil, and your two flunkies are upstairs manning the security system. You two are with me, and will escort the professor and his associate upstairs. Once they've got the item, we go into phase two. Got it?"

"Got it." Izumi slipped her black face mask on and tugged up the collar of her jacket. Dabi in turn placed his own mask over his face and shouldered the gun that had been shoved at him. He didn't care for standard weapons, but it was imperative they look the part. After a quick once over Wolfram gave them both an approving nod.

"You pass. Now then, Let's get this show on the road." Wolfram put his metal mask into place and the big silver doors opened letting him and their crew in.

Upstairs in the security room, Sworkill, Compress, and Twice, as well as several others of Wolfram's crew had taken care of the guards and associates manning the system. With a few tweaks and the override codes they were provided, the system went into lockdown mode.

"Oi…" Twice leaned into compress whispering. "With these guys manning security, how are we supposed to unleash our own plans?" He twitched a little and held his head fighting back the irritating passive voice shrieking in his mind.

"A trivial matter, my friend." Compress assured and leaned back against the wall watching the others at work. "Once Karma and Dabi have joined us everything will fall into place just as her highness has planned out."

"That's another thing. She's been off ever since we ran into those friends of hers. Are we sure she's still stable." he tapped his temple. "Maybe she's still broken up here…" he pulled a box out of his pouch. "I've got bandaids just in case!"

"I wouldn't worry…" Compress smiled and tapped his fingers against his forearms as he watched the crew move in from the monitor. "She's proven that no matter the stressful situation she can come out on top. We just have to trust our Queen, and do what we're told."

"That's it… we're in." The tech tapped the last key and the entire system went into alert. Screens went red with an alert system and everyone on the island was put into lockdown. Thousands of robots spread across the city, herding the people into nearby buildings.

At the party all the heroes and guests attending looked around startled and puzzled by this sudden alert. David's eyes went hard and he turned his gaze to his associate who nodded.

_It's time, _They thought together, and mimicked the shocked expressions as Wolfram and the others infiltrated the room holding up weapons.

"In case you haven't caught on, the security system is under our control now." Wolfram spoke, immediately putting himself in the leader position. His team flagged out, surrounding the guests with their guns pointed at the ready. Phoenix and Dabi flanked him, looking more lax with their weapons, but the evil intent clear in their body language.

As Wolfram explained the dangerous situation to their hostages, Phoenix took a good look around the room and couldn't help but let a smile tug on her lips when she spotted All Might at the podium. The look on his face showed he was braced to fight as always. Wolfram must have caught the look too because he immediately gave the order to the security to release the restraining devices. Following his flow she stepped forward with Wolfram and fired her gun once in the air to catch their attention.

"Don't get any ideas heroes…" she tapped her gun against her temple and let the flames flow out and around her. The guests closest to her backed away immediately, cowering in fear. "This isn't a battle between villain and hero, but instead a demonstration of power."

She pressed her foot into the nearest hero and pushed down rolling him. Liking the way all eyes turned on her she let the high of the moment fill her voice with excitement, and eyes with twisted delight. Wolfram eyed her, sharing the same look of twisted enjoyment. He really liked this girl. Once this job was over he was going to convince her to ditch her losers and join him.

Phoenix caught his look and her smile intensified. She shoved the hero away with a quick kick and walked up to the stage with Wolfram looking down at All Might. She crouched down beside him, and she saw the instant he recognized her.

"Little Mi-"

"Shhhh…" She pressed a finger to her mask and winked at him. Excitement flooded her, the rush of adrenaline fueling her performance. "No talking. Be a good little hero, and just enjoy the show. Okay All Might?"

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: Dun dun dun! Did you like it? Are you excited for more? I hope so! **

**Next Chapter: Terrorizing the Terrorists**


	5. Terrorizing the Terrorists

**Midori the Queen**

**Author's Note: So I want to address Izumi's character a little bit. You'll notice I keep switching her titles from Karma, to Izumi, to Phoenix depending on the persona she's working. Izumi refers to her normal persona, the shy, nervous, and loving person she was before becoming a villain. Karma refers to her Queen persona, the woman in charge, the true villain. Phoenix represents her incognito persona, the persona she created from scratch to start over. In a way she's struggling between these three persona's because she's still trying to find the one that fits who she is. I'm sorry if this causes any confusion but I felt it would help you all better understand the internal conflict she's struggling with. **

**On with the fic!**

**Chapter 5: Terrorizing the Terrorists**

"What the hell is going on you guys?" Mineta said with worry and stress on his face. The building had suddenly closed up and shut down. There was no cell phone service, the elevators weren't working, and all the doors and windows were sealed with huge metal plates trapping them inside.

"This isn't the normal protocol for locating explosives," Melissa puzzled over the situation. "Something feels off."

"What should we do?" Uraraka fidgeted feeling nervous.

"We should find All Might and Senpai." Iida suggested walking forward. "If the situation is that dangerous then they should be able to give us some form of instruction."

"Good idea, but how do we get to the party if the elevator's not working?" Kirishima asked rubbing the back of his neck.

"Not follow your sense of direction, that's for sure." Bakugo murmured, remembering how Kirishima had almost taken them in the wrong direction from the get go before Icy Hot had correct them.

"We can get there using the emergency staircase. It should at least get us close." Melissa suggested.

"Alright then, let's go." Iida lead the way jogging to the door and opening it for everyone to file in before following himself. The staircase got them as far as the lounge area that circled above the ball room. There was a wide open glass dome in the center of it looking down at the stage below.

"See anything Bakugo?" Kirishima asked when Bakugo peered over. When his friend gripped the bars and his body tensed up he peered over as well and let out a strangled gasp. "All Might?"

"What happened? He's been restrained and there's people standing over him." Uraraka whispered when she also took a look.

"Get back…" Bakugo ordered both of them and crouched low. "Oi, earphone girl…" he motioned Jirou over and tapped the ground. "Try listening in on what's going on."

Jirou obliged and stuck her earphone into the ground. She strained a little, picking up a lot of movement, erratic heartbeats, murmured and panicked voices. Her heart shook when she heard the familiar sound of metal weapons being cocked and at the ready. Something was definitely wrong down there.

"Don't worry," she heard a voice speak and tried to focus on it. "If you all do as your told there won't be any reason to harm you. We plan to release you all safely once we've attained what we're after."

Wolfram walked the floor, glancing back at Phoenix who remained crouched beside All Might, a gun pressed to his head.

"Why are you doing this?" All Might whispered and she pressed the gun harder to his temple. Unknown to him she hadn't even bothered loading the damn thing, let alone taking it off safety. "How did you even get here?"

"You really ought to shut your mouth, All Might." She murmured back to him. "You're better off doing as he says and letting this play out."

Movement caught her eye and she quickly flicked her head up and barely caught sight of someone flinching back from the lounge. Her eyes narrowed and then took a gander at the room. When she didn't see any of her classmates she clicked her tongue in agitation.

"You'd best tell your students to butt out too…" She stood when Wolfram called her over to him. "They'll just end up putting themselves in danger if they interfere." She walked away from him and over to the two scientists he's singled out. She recognized David Shield immediately and did her best not to show her excitement at being in his presence. The other man, Sam, was his assistant and apparently the man who had set everything up for them.

"Alright, you two take these guys up to the tower and put them to work. Signal me if there are any problems. You guys fail to oblige I'll start popping heads off civilians, got it?"

"Yes…" Sam said with a slow shaky breath. Izumi's brow rose at his reaction to that. For someone who was in charge of this whole operation he seemed very shaken up.

As she and Dabi escorted Dave and Sam out of the ballroom All Might struggled against his restraints. He mentally assessed the situation, trying to figure out how much power he had left and what all he needed to accomplish to gain control of the situation.

What puzzled him was Izumi's involvement. Why was she here and under a guise? What were these villains truly after?

"_You're better off doing as he says."_

Her performance earlier had shaken him. She'd had everyone in the room believing she was some kind of twisted psychopath enjoying the rush of the situation. Yet when she spoke to him privately and away from her peers he could hear and sense the old Izumi… so calm and focused.

"_Tell your students to butt out too." _

That second line puzzled him too. Mirio wasn't there so what students could she be talking about?

A flash of light caught his eye and he slowly turned his head. His breath caught when he spotted Todoroki flashing his phone screen trying to catch his attention. Of course, Todoroki would have naturally received an invitation, but how had Izumi known he was there? And how was he supposed to tell them what was going on?

Todoroki looked to Jiro who gave him a thumbs up. She'd focused on All might's breathing and grunts and isolated the sound so he was all she could hear. Todoroki gave the signal to All Might to start talking by cupping a hand over his ear and motioning his other hand towards him.

"I hope you all can hear me." All Might whispered and broke down the situation. "A group of villains have taken the tower and now have control over the security system. The entire island has been taken hostage. That includes all the heroes at this party."

He wondered how much he should tell the students. If he told them Izumi was there how would they all react? Still if they took action despite his instructions they would benefit knowing who they were up against.

No, he quickly decided remembering how they all had reacted after Izumi's fairwell video. If they knew she was involved there was no doubt they'd take action. He knew some of the students still had faith in her, still believed she could turned away from villainy. It was better, he thought, for them to treat her as a real villain.

"It's dangerous. You all should stay hidden and get away from here as soon as you can."

"This is bad." Jiro retracted her earphone and let out a shaky breath looking to Todoroki. Deciding it was safer to retreat to the stairs and out of sight of any cameras, Jiro relayed the message to her classmates and Melissa.

"We've received the message from All Might loud and clear. " Iida told them all his face fierce and authoritative. "He's our teacher, I suggest we follow his instructions and escape this place."

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Iida." Momo held her heart looking down. "We're still only students, we can't fight these villains without our licenses."

"Why don't we escape and tell the heroes outside?" Kaminari suggested.

"It's not going to be that easy to escape." Melissa piped in holding her chin and looking fretful. She hoped her father and everyone else was okay. She didn't want anyone she knew to get hurt. "The security system here is on the same level as the Tartarus prison where they keep the most dangerous criminals in the world."

"So all we can do is sit here…" Kaminari sighed then glanced over at Bakugo. "You've been strangely quiet this entire time, Bakugo. I figured you'd be raring to have a piece of action."

"I'm confident, not stupid, dunce face." Bakugo crossed his arms and grit his teeth. "There's too many villains down there and innocent people who would get shot if I just jumped down there and started blasting them to shit. We don't know what their quirks are, how powerful they are, or what they're after."

"That's calm and rational coming from someone like you." Todoroki mused and had Bakugo sneering.

"I'm always calm and rational you damn half and half!"

"You okay, Uraraka?" Jiro placed a hand on her shoulder, seeing her stare at her hands.

"You guys will probably think I'm crazy. I know we're only students, and that we don't have our licenses but… I think we should go save them anyway."

"You're right, you are crazy." Mineta pointed a finger at her. "You heard what All Might said."

"I know, I know but… and this is where the real crazy hits." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Earlier today, I thought I saw Izumi."

Bakugo tensed up and whirled around at Uraraka.

"Where?"

"At the Expo, when we met up with Mirio-Senpai and Melissa." She laughed a little. "Stupid right? She didn't even look like Izumi, the hair color was all wrong and the way she was dressed… but there was something about the way her body moved that just gave me that vibe."

No, it wasn't stupid Bakugo decided immediately. He'd seen the exact same girl and had gotten that exact same reaction.

"Who's Izumi?" Melissa inquired.

"She's a former classmate." Kirishima explained. "She was probably the best in our class before…" he trailed off and looked down.

"At any rate," Momo cleared the tension by addressing uraraka again. "You thought you saw her, but what does that have to do with why you want to help everyone?"

"Well since she's been on my mind, I can't help but think what she would do in this situation." Uraraka smiled warmly and rubbed the back of her head.

"You mean aside from joining them?" Kaminari scowled and got an elbow to the ribs. "Ow!"

"I'm serious." Uraraka got to her feet clenching her fists at her side. "Izumi wanted to be a hero more than any of us. She wants to save everyone including villains which is why she ended up where she is, but… I know, I just know that if she were here she'd want to help everyone."

"You're right." Todoroki agreed and stepped forward to join the movement. "I feel the same way, Uraraka. Izumi wouldn't be able to just sit and wait for something to happen. She'd take action."

"You guys are all talking crazy!"Mineta scolded and waved his own fists in frustration. "Did you forget that Izumi's a villain now? You're trying to think like a villain! There's nothing we can do!"

"Sure there is…" Kirishima bumped his fists together. "We could just bring the security system back online. If all the heroes at the party were released they'd be able to take out the villains no problem. That wouldn't require us to do any fighting, right?" He looked to Melissa for verification.

"Yes," Melissa nodded, a look of determination and courage coming over her face. "I know where the security system is. It's on the top floor of this tower." She clenched a fist over her heart, her mind going to work. "If the villains were able to take control of this tower, then that means teh authentication locks and passwords have been disabled. We should be able to restart the system ourselves. All we'd need to do is stay of the villain's radar until we can get to the top floor."

"Then let's do it…" Todoroki nodded. "It's pointless to just sit here and wait. I'm going."

"Me too!" Uraraka bounced in her shoes smiling.

"Now hold on a minute…" Momo looked around at her classmates fretfully. She didn't want them to just all jump in at this. She looked to Iida who had stayed silent this whole time. She watched him pull back the sleeve of his jacket and shirt and eye the scar Karma had put there. "Iida?"

"Heroes are supposed to help and save people." He murmured catching everyone's attention. He lifted his head, his eyes fierce again. "Midoriya… no… Karma told me that the only thing she ever wanted in life was to help people. She said heroes are only capable of so much because society created rules that limited their actions. In this instance, she might be right."

"I can't believe you of all people just said that." Kaminari pointed a finger at him.

"I don't like admitting it, I doubt any of us do, but even as a villain Midoriya has taught us so much about being heroes. When I made the stupid mistake of confronting Stain she saved me even though it wasn't in her best interest. She wouldn't let him kill me, but she punished me for my stupidity nonetheless. She didn't want me to make the same mistakes she made, and despite the hurt and betrayal at learning who she was and what she had done I can't help but feel grateful for her lesson."

"I think Iida has lost his marbles." Mineta whispered earning a nod from Kaminari.

"It may seem strange to the lot of you, but I truly feel that Midoriya has been guiding us down the right path from the start. She left us that video, told us to track her down and defeat her because she feels she's become too tainted to do it herself." He looked to Todoroki and Uraraka. "If you two truly believe that this is what she would want us to do… then count me in."

"Alright! Let's do this then! Oi Bakugo are you.. Huh?" He looked around for Bakugo. "Where did he go?"

The sound of footsteps above them had everyone going blue faced.

"He left us behind! OI! BAKUGO WAIT FOR US!" Kirishima jogged up the steps after his friend.

"Majority votes… come on Todoroki!" Uraraka went after Kirishima with Todoroki right behind. One by one their group jogged up the steps all with one goal in mind.

"We have to save everyone!"

**~Meanwhile~ **

The elevator doors opened and izumi removed her mask and tossed the gun on the ground. Dabi followed suit removing his own guise.

"Phase one complete…" David shield smiled at the two of them. "I can't thank you lot enough for your help."

"Hah?" Izumi glanced back at David who took her hands and gripped them tightly. "Excuse me?"

"You're welcome." Dabi said it for her and pat her on the back. "Don't be rude, Phoenix."

"Uh… right…" what the fuck was going on? Izumi questioned and pulled her hands out of David's. "Mr. Shield can I ask you a question?"

"Of course…" He smiled warmly at her. It confused her even more.

"Can I ask why you're going through all this trouble for an invention of yours?" She crossed her arms. "What exactly does it do?"

David's smile faltered a little and he looked down. Dabi caught the look and he put a hand over Izumi's head.

"Don't mind her, she's just young."

"No, it's okay…" David nodded. "It's an invention I made to help a friend of mine. He's losing strength and this invention will help him get back to normal."

All Might, Izumi immediately put it together and she squeezed her arms tight to hold back the fury in her gut. The man had made an invention that could help heal All Might. That's why he was willing to do this, but a few other things didn't add up.

"I have to say for someone so young your performance was astounding." David pat her shoulder companionable. "You're a very talented young actress miss Phoenix." He smiled at her. "You even had me shaking in my boots."

"Oh uh…" Actress? "Thanks I guess…" She glanced at Sam who avoided her gaze and the final puzzle piece clicked into place. The dirty little snake. Now it made sense why David would be so calm, and Sam a nervous wreck. David thought they were all actors or something pretending to be villains… but Sam knew the truth.

It was Sam who had put up the request on the mercenary site. It was Sam who had hired them and had stupidly given real villains access to the most highly protected city in the world. For Greed and Glory she imagined. With David's invention coming to light Sam would receive the glory… or worse the little man planned to sell the invention to the villains for a price and get his pay cut.

David had put his trust in this man, in this greedy and selfish little man. He was about to have the rug pulled right out from under him.

"Finally,' Sworkill came up behind them sneering at her. "Took your time getting up here. Get to work old man, and make it fast." He pulled out his sword and put it under David's chin. "Unless you wanna lose your head."

"Easy, you jerk," Phoenix shoved him off David. "He's no good to us dead."

"Neither are you, but I wouldn't hesitate to-" He started to point the blade in her direction but Dabi got between them.

"Phoenix stop picking fights and escort those two to the vault. Keep an eye on them while the rest of us mind the security system." He glanced back at Izumi who nodded.

"Fine… come on professor…" She got behind him and pushed him from behind. "Let's get this over with." She sent Dabi a knowing look, her lips curving slowly as she escorted them out of the security room and towards the vault.

"Just who the hell do you think you are?" Sworkill shoved at Dabi turning him around. "You're not the boss around here."

"You're right, I'm not…" He glanced over at Compress and Twice who nodded. "In fact, Karma's the one in charge."

"Huh? Kar… MA!?" He grunted as Dabi's hand flicked out and coated him in fire. He screamed bloody murder and dropped to the floor trying to put the flames on his body out. Dabi and Twice then went to work on the rest of the crew, knocking them around like dolls before any of them got a chance to get in contact with the boss downstairs.

Within seconds Wolfram's gang was knocked out and restrained and shoved into the storage room with the bound and gagged security team.

"Nice work boys…" Karma came back in. "Though you could have gone overboard just a hair." She squinted her fingers together. "David and his slimy associate got a little freaked at the screaming."

"What did you tell them?"

"I left them to do their work and said I'd find out what's going on. I'll go back in a minute and tell them it was just a small internal dispute that got out of control, but the matter is solved." She eyed the room. "Do any of you guys know how to work this thing?"

"Not as well as him." Twice jerked a thumb at the tech guy they'd slammed in the closet with the others. "He was useless."

"I recognize a few of these…" Compress told her motioning to the control pad. "I see where he flipped the switch to activate the elevators, and open up a communication channel with Wolfram. He also pointed out this button over here that'll disable the security measures and reboot the system onto default. He was insistent that we not touch it."

"Oooh can I push it!" Twice raised his hand up eagerly.

"No…" All three of them answered.

"We should put our plan into action while Wolfram is still oblivious to what we're doing." Dabi suggested.

"Agreed…" Karma tapped the screens searching for the one she wanted and smiling when she located it. "Operation Hide and Divide unleashed."

Outside in the expo center where they'd seen all the latest hero gear the security system deactivated. The doors and windows came free and the antitheft sensors turned off. From their various hidden locations, Twice's clones of Mr. Compress hatched out of their marbles and walked out to the center.

"Look at this wonderful treasure trove. I shall liberate it in the name of the league." All of them spoke in unison and activated their quirks, turning the inventions one by one into marbles for easy carry out.

Back in the tower Karma and her crew watched them work and inwardly celebrated.

"Operation Hide and Divide is underway. It won't take long for the clones to gather all the goods from that location. All we need to do is rendezvous with them and take the multicraft off the island."

"Sounds like a plan." Karma smilled, but it quickly faded when a small alert came up on the screen. Compress took a seat tapping a finger over it. A security screen popped up showing the U.A. group opening the door on the 80th floor.

"Looks like your friends from U.A. are making their way up the tower." He told her.

"They've got Melissa Shield with them." Karma leaned over his chair narrowing her eyes on the screen. "She's probably guiding them through the building in order to get to the top floor and get back the security system."

"That doesn't give us much time then." Dabi turned his eyes onto the screen where Wolfram still held the heroes and guests captive. "If they start setting off alarms then Wolfram's going to catch wind of what we're doing."

"Then let's give them both a distraction." Karma tapped her ear piece and gave compress a go ahead to open the communication link. "Hey boss we've got a problem."

"What's the matter, Phoenix?" Wolfram pressed a hand to his ear.

"Some kids got past the system and are making their way up here. They're on the eightieth floor."

"Tch, damn kids… alright I'll send a couple men up there to detain them. You just focus on Shield and his wimp assistant."

"Yessir." She shut off the link and gave a knowing smile to her crew. "Let them worry about each other. In the meantime we'll use the confusion to finish our plans."

"Oooh man you're creepy when you're sinister," Twice wiggled holding his cheeks. "It's so hot."

"You three keep an eye on our progress. I'll go into the vault with Dave and Sam. Once they've got what they need we'll go into the final phase of our plan." Her lips curved wickedly. "It's almost payday boys… no sense in holding back now."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Yay! The adventure at I-island is almost done, but what's gonna happen? Will Karma and the league succeed? Will Wolfram catch wind and cause chaos, or will the UA students and heroes stop it altogether? Only one way to find out!**_

_**Next Chapter: Guilty Conscience**_


	6. Guilty Conscience

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 6: Guilty Conscience**

David Shield was a genius when it came to his own inventions, but with even his vast knowledge of I-island it would take time for him to crack through the large number of hidden treasures locked away in the vault. The entire room was over fifty feet tall and was covered in wall to wall lock boxes. All of them were electronically controlled by the main database now at his fingertips.

_Almost there…_ he thought as his fingers clicked along the keyboard… _It's almost within my grasp again. _

"Are we having fun in here?" Phoenix strolled in casually and eyed the room with a low whistle. "Look at all the fancy gadgets. No wonder you guys call this place the vault."

"How's the situation outside?" Sam asked wiping sweat from his brow. "We heard a scream."

"Oh nothing to worry about…" She waved it off with a sweet smile. "That was just Sworkill being dramatic. Some kids got lost in the building and were poking around the 80th floor. Made them all jumpy. The boss took care of it though, sent some guys to redirect them."

"Oh thank goodness." Sam let out a shaky breath. "I thought perhaps some heroes had managed to escape."

Yeah that thought would make you nervous, wouldn't it old man? Karma thought with an inner sneer. Her eyes must have narrowed because she saw his tension go back up and he averted her eyes by busying himself on the data panel.

She didn't care for the fact that David was being lured into villainy due to this man's treachery. Just like she'd been lured in by love, and a ticket into UA High school, David Shield was now being lead by the nose at the promising thought that his invention would save his friend. David was a well known and respected scientists who helped create so many incredible items and costumes that he was referred to as a hero himself. Yet even he had stepped onto the dark path known as villainy with the proper motivation to fuel him.

"Mr. Shield…" She spoke low watching this man work with an anxious smile on his face. "I know it's a bit late to be saying this but do you really think this is a good idea?"

She saw Sam tense up first and give her fidgeting looks. David didn't look up from his work, but instead kept typing even as he answered her.

"I had reservations at first. I know what I'm doing it morally wrong, but I'm confident the ends will justify the means." He paused, turning his eyes to another screen to check its lists before typing again.

"No, I really don't think it will." She clenched her fist at her side. "I know you think it's going to help, and maybe it will for a time… but all you're doing is delaying the inevitable. You can't give All Might immortality."

Now David stopped, his face going pale and his eyes whipping over to her.

"How did you-"

"I'm not an idiot Professor Shield." She clenched her hands at her sides. "All Might is the friend you want to help, and there's been rumors that he's losing his strength and power. Look at how easily he backed down during the hostage situation. In his prime we would have never been able to get away with this, and you're taking advantage of his weakened state in hopes that it would pay off in the end… but really you're just making it more clear to him that as time goes by he becomes less useful and less of a symbol than before."

"How can you say that?!" Sam pushed David out of the way shaking and glaring at her. His fear turning to rage now. "It's not just All Might that will benefit from this! Every hero in the world could benefit from this! It will…"

"Is that what you told yourself when you brought us all here?" She grit her teeth. "Is that what you told the little voice in your head called a conscience? You're even worse than he is for talking him into this so shut your trap you bald geezer!"

Sam gulped loudly but continued to shake and stand in front.

"We had a deal, young lady. If you want to get paid then I suggest you-"

"Oh I have every intention of getting paid… but what makes you think I'm letting you be the one to write my check?" She pulled out her gun that she'd retrieved from the hall. She took it off safety and cocked it before pointing it directly at Sam. It wasn't loaded, but he didn't know that. "Now then… if I did my research properly then there's a series of switches that allows for every box to be open in case of an evacuation. Both of you are going to put in that code for me."

"The hell is this? What are you trying to do, Phoenix?"

"I'm getting paid… didn't your assistant tell you?" Her lips turned sinister. "I'm not an actress, Professor Shield… I'm a real villain."

"What?" David choked and looked down at Sam who clenched his teeth. "Sam you didn't-"

"I'm sorry professor… but I didn't have a choice. How else was I supposed to get back all those years of work and effort that were taken from us? I need compensation for my work!"

"Sam…" David's voice held such betrayal and sadness that it tugged on Izumi's heartstrings.

"Pitiful isn't it?" She said with a small laugh and stepped closer. "It's pitiful how easy it is for someone's character to change so drastically. You trust them, put your faith in them…" her eyes took on a look of sorrow for a moment before she hid it with a smile. "...and all they do is disappoint you."

"Is that what happened to you, Phoenix?" David looked at her with a bit of pity. "Did someone betray you?"

"No…" a single tear slipped down her cheek and she lowered the gun just a fraction so that their eyes could meet. "I did the betraying."

"Hey boss!" Twice skidded into the door, and Karma's gun lifted back up in a threatening motion. "We got a problem. Those kids split up and the bulk of the group is moving up the tower."

"Boss?" David whispered even as he held up his hands in defense against Karma.

"Tch... figures that Wolfram's goons are a bunch of weaklings." She glanced back over her shoulder. "Oi, tell Compress to get his ass in here and have Dabi to keep Wolfram occupied. The clones should almost be done gathering up the goods in point A so we need to snag what we can from here and get gone."

"Righto!" Dabi saluted but then slumped. "What about the kids? They're a real nuisance… eh it's no big deal." He quickly waved it off as if the problem didn't exist.

"The security doors are sealed tight after they pass the 150th floor. There's only one way to get up to the tower from there and that's where we'll stop them." She looked at him over her shoulder. The look in her eyes had Twice bouncing with excitement.

"Ooh! Ooh! You got a plan don't yah? Tell me! Tell me!" He crosses his arms up in an X over his chest. "Not interested!"

"You've my measurements don't you?" She smirked and lifted her mask into place. "Make a copy of me… and I'll handle those nuisances personally."

**~Meanwhile~**

"It's pretty quiet, don't you think?" Ochaco huffed a little as they took a small breather.

"Yeah, we haven't had any disruptions or disturbances since the 80th floor." Kaminari agreed cheerfully. "Maybe they've finally lost track of us."

"Or it could be they're just lulling us into a false sense of security." Melissa argued and held her chest. A fresh bead of sweat dripped down her temple. "Could be they've got men waiting for us, or are setting a trap."

"Either way we don't have much choice but to press on." Iida took a deep breath to calm himself. "We've gotten this far, it'd be shameful if we backed down now." He rounded the corner but then stopped and cursed under his breath. "Damn, it looks as though the path is blocked from here as well. We'll need to find another way."

"There's a way in from outside, through the wind tunnel platform. We can use Ochaco's weightless quirk to float and it's a straight shot from there to the control tower." Melissa provided and had all of them smiling.

"That's perfect, lead the way Melissa." Iida nodded his head and the group followed Melissa down a set of paths and out to the platform.

"Here it is, we… uh oh." Melissa stopped when she spotted the single figure standing in the center of the platform. With her back to them, she created quite a picture; the wind from the high altitude blew her long duster jacket and red curly locks giving her a very ominous look despite her small size.

"What is it?" Yaoyorozu peeked around and her eyes narrowed. "A single fighter?"

"I recognize her…" Uraraka whispered. "She was the one standing over All Might when we went to check out the party. What's she doing all the way up here?"

"I recognize her too…" Mineta whispered. "She's the hottie Kaminari and I served drinks to at the expo earlier."

"Hey you're right." Kaminari thumped a fist in his palm. "Damn she was villain all this time? What a gyp."

"Now is not the time for banter you two." Iida stepped forward onto the platform first, his team behind him and forming a strong line of defense if needed.

Karma tapped her ear, signaling her crew that the gang of students had arrived before slowly turning to face them. With her mask on and the dark helping conceal her face she let out a little laugh.

"I've been waiting for you, young heroes." She applauded. "Congratulations on getting this far… but your tour of the tower ends here. If you would be so kind as to return to the lobby, you'll soon be released with the rest of the hostages. Providing that is you don't give us any further trouble."

"You're one to talk." Jirou countered with a sneer. "It's you villains that started the trouble. We're just here to finish it!"

"You tell 'em Jirou!" Uraraka thrust her fist. "Surrender or prepare to lose!"

"Pfft," Karma had to laugh. Izumi always did like Uraraka's spunk. "Whatever for? I'm in the clear advantage here."

"How do you figure that?" Jirou scoffed. "It's seven on one."

"For starters your math doesn't quite add up." She cocked her head to the side. "Only two of you have strong combative quirks, and out of those two only one of them knows how to handle it well."

"Eh?" Uraraka blinked in confusion. "Say what?"

"For second you're all held under society's thumb. The lot of you are students and there are rules in which you're forced to abide by if you want to become Heroes." She shrugged. "I'm a villain so those rules don't apply to me in the slightest. I could kill each and every one of you and no one would look at me any different. A villain is a villain after all."

"Oi is she for real?" Kaminari whispered to the rest of them. "How the hell does she know all this about us? Is she a mind reader?"

"Thirdly…the fact I'm alone doesn't hinder me at all. You're traveling in a large group of people you consider friends and have a strong sentimental attachment to them. If I endanger one of you, then another will gladly sacrifice themselves to protect them. Whereas I only have myself to worry about, no one to hinder me, and no one to distract me from the task at hand." Karma held out her hand and gave a come hither motion. Her eyes pierced through the dark, a glowing green against the black. "Still if you all believe that you've the advantage then come at me. Let's find out who's right."

A cold bead of sweat dripped down the side of Melissa's face. She swallowed hard and clutched her hands together trying to steady them. Something about this girl just sent shivers down her spine.

"Fine…" Kaminari stepped forward. "I don't like fighting girls, but since you're giving us no choice I'm going to prove you're wrong!" He tossed off his apron and tie and rushed forward.

"Wait Kaminari!" Jirou shouted and gasped as Yaoyorozu pulled her down and the insulated blanket appeared and covered the group.

"Take this you bitch! 1.3 million voltz!"

"Hmmph, so predictable…" She lifted her head, her face flashing in the light and Kaminari got a perfect view of her face as his lightning struck across the sky. "Kaminari-kun."

"Weh!?" Stunned himself, his electricity discharged against a fiery barrier that thrust out at him, knocking him on his ass and sent him rolling across the ground. His sparks sputtered and he sat looking stupefied.

"What in the hell was what?" Jirou pulled up the sheet staring awestruck. "Did she just block his lightning with a wall of fire?"

"That doesn't make any sense…" Melissa agreed narrowing her eyes on the situation. "Even when used as quirks, fire doesn't have the right properties to discharge lightning like that. It was almost as if it was reinforced by something."

Her prediction had been right, Karma thought, inwardly pleased with herself. The bluff had shaken them up, and she was able to put her power on display in the best possible way against that idiot Kaminari who jumped straight into it.

"Is it starting to sink in yet? You're all out of your league." She faced the group fully again, she let the flames dance up in her hands in a spiral motion. Be intimidating, be assertive… force them to back down! "This is your last warning… go back downstairs and surrender to the boss, or face me and die."

"_Oooh, nice touch there Phoenix." _

Wolfram spoke over the comlink and she had to smirk. It seemed as though Dabi had patched her taunt through to Wolfram to appease his interest in the battle. Keeping him focused on the intruders rather than what was happening upstairs.

"_If you think that's something then you should see her fight. She's got a mean right hook." _Dabi added over the speaker.

"_You're sure you can handle that group of kids by yourself, Phoenix? Need me to send you some back up?" _Wolfram suggested.

"_Have some faith in the kid." _Dabi interjected before she could way a word. _"Trust me, she'll have these kids practically running off the side of the building within ten minutes." _

Karma strained her ears so she could read the code in his words. Right hook…Faith…Side of the building… ten minutes. She had to stall these guys for ten minutes, then be prepared to take a leap of faith off the building.

"So what's the verdict, heroes?" She taunted and flexed her hands out forming flames in the palms. "Are you all gonna attack me? Or are you gonna heed my advice?"

"What should we do Iida-san? She seems way more powerful than the other villains." Yaoyorozu swallowed hard.

"I agree… She's so confident even though there's so many of us." Iida agreed and grit his teeth. He rubbed the scar on his arm and looked at Kaminari who hadn't moved from his spot on the ground. "We're in over our heads."

"Well what are you waiting for?" Getting heated and enjoying the moment of superiority Karma let her villainous nature take over. Her grin spread wide behind the mask causing those green eyes to go wide and the pupils to shrink. "ATTACK ME!"

"GLADLY!" Bakugo's voice suddenly called out and Karma whipped her head around only to get knocked on her ass by a massive explosion. Where the fuck did he come from?

"You guys alright?" Kirishima asked as he and Todoroki raced up from behind.

"Kirishima, Todoroki!" Iida turned and then glanced back at Bakugo who stood by the villain, hands braced for attack. "When did he-"

"You know Bakugo, we got a look at the situation from the doorway and he wanted to make a flashy entrance." Kirishima laughed jerking a thumb in his best friend's direction.

"Question is did he get her?" Todoroki ripped off what was left of his tie and let it fall to the ground.

"Sure looks like it to me." Kirishima laughed and then saw Kaminari on the ground. "Whoa hey Kaminari you alright man?" He raced over to his friend and knelt down to help him up.

"Mnng Kirishima…" Kaminari stirred awake and looked up at him fearfully. "It's not… she's… it's her."

"Huh? What are you saying?" Confused by the spaced out sentence he looked back over at Bakugo and the villain who was stirring and collecting herself from the sneak attack.

"Ready for more you bitch?" Bakugo flexed his hands laughing. "I'll take you on all by myself if these cowards don't want to."

"Nice to see you haven't changed…" Karma laughed and stood up, her wig falling off and face turning to her opponent. It brought on a sense of delight to see the stunned expression on his face. "Hello, Kacchan."

"Usagi?" For the first time in his life Bakugo took several steps back from an opponent. Todoroki who had been walking towards them stopped dead in his tracks and looked at her pale faced.

"Izumi…"

"Guys what's the matter? Why did you-" Uraraka paused her sentence when she too got a look at the villain without her guise. "No… Midori-chan?"

"You guys look so surprised to see me." She pulled off her mask and tossed it aside, then ran fingers through her messy black hair grinning at them. "Truth be told I'd hoped to postpone our reunion for a later date… but it would seem fate loves twisting knives in my back."

"Why Midori-chan?" Uraraka whimpered as she fought off the tears. "Why are you here? Why are you doing this?"

"Do I really need a reason?" She faced the tears with a look of pity. She felt the tugs on her own heart, the ache and hole each of these familiar faces put in her… but she wouldn't falter She wasn't the young hero they'd befriended. "Don't give me that wounded look. I'm a villain, remember Ura-chan?"

"You were our friend first." Todoroki corrected her and stepped closer. This time it was Karma who took a step back. "We trusted you, believed in you…"

"...and loved me." She smirked at him turning the look of pity in his direction. "Or so you told me every chance you got. I told you from the start I had priorities, people who matter to me more. Unfortunately society and hero school frown upon fraternizing with villains so I decided to join up rather than cut them off like the rest of this heartless society."

"That's the biggest bull shit lie I've ever heard." Bakugo snapped. "They warped you, Usagi. They're trying to turn you into something you're not and you're playing right into their hands."

"Hahahaha!" She had to laugh at that. "You're a fool if you think I'm a victim in all this." She pointed at herself still laughing. "Do you honestly think I didn't understand what was happening to me during that whole process? I knew the outcome, I knew what would happen the moment I found out Sensei was a villain I knew I'd dug myself in too deep. I didn't run away from it, I embraced it. I ate all that negativity up like candy and now look at me!"

She stood up straight and let her quirk dance around her. The kids of class 1A could only stare in horrorified awe at what had become of their friend and classmate.

"I was a quirkless nobody, but now all of Japan knows my name! Soon the entire world will know it too thanks to this infiltration. I'm the Queen of Villains! I am all powerful! I'm going to pull the strings of society and turn it into my puppet!"

"Like hell!" Bakugo screamed.

"We won't let you do that, Izumi!" Todoroki let the ice form around his hand. "We're going to stop you!"

"You can try, Shoto… but get that sick puppy love look off your face first. I'm a villain, so you'd better treat me like one." She crouched and let the flames twist up in her palms. "Because I won't pull my punches!"

"Fair enough, Usagi!" Bakugo launched at her again and she dodged quickly whipping the flaming energy out. He dodged as well, using a small explosion to jettison to the left and avoiding having his hand snapped right off his wrist.

Todoroki moved next, unleashing a massive barrage of ice in her direction which her flame whips cut down to size.

"Kirishima!" Bakugo whirled back. "Icy Hot and I will handle Usagi. You and motor calves use your quirks to bust through those security doors and get to the control booth!"

"Got it!"

"Round face!" He turned around to look at Uraraka. "You, grape face, and Ponytail get Kaminari out of here and treat his wounds. Do what you can to find a way outside and alert the other heroes about what's going on."

"Okay!" She obeyed. Using her quirk on Kaminari to lift him she and the others in her group hurried back inside.

Karma skidded off to the side to avoid the oncoming attack for Todoroki and she put a finger to her comlink. "Dabi, they're splitting up again, what's our situation upstairs."

"Never mind us here, do you need some backup? I can be down there in two minutes." Dabi said in cryptic speech. Translation being was that her double had finished with the Professor and Sam, and they were just waiting on transportation. ETA was two minutes.

"Not necessary, I can handle these punks. Just worry about your own task and be careful not to damage anything!"

"_What the hell is going on?" Wolfram announced through the comlink. "Give me a status update." _

"A little busy at the moment, Wolfram, let Dabi give you the details!" She shouted and sprung up to avoid Bakugo's blow and snagged him by the hair. She yanked him down slamming his skull against the brick.

Bakugo heard tweeting birds for a minute as the pain of the impact rattled his brain. He was lucky she hadn't cracked his skull open. In a move that was more instinctive then planned he brought up both hands and unleashed a furious blast against her belly.

Karma barely had enough time to bring up a barrier before she was sent skidding back by the blast. Todoroki caught her with his ice, her feet now frozen solid and trapped. Well Shit.

"Nice timing…" Bakugo grunted and held his head as he got up.

"Thanks."

"Tch, since when do you two get along so well?" Karma taunted and briefly checked the levels on her flame thrower. She didn't have much fuel left, which meant she'd be relying on more of her own energy after this.

"Shit happens when you're faced against odds." Bakugo explained. "We didn't want to do this to you, Usagi, but you left us with no choice."

"Well I'm happy to contribute to your brohood bond." She crouched down and used the last of her flame thrower to burn away the ice and release herself. The two boys stepped back into fighting stance looking ready for more. "You guys took on two villain flunkies all by yourselves, and still had more than enough energy to deal with me."

She laughed, her bright smile sending shockwaves of nostalgia to both of their hearts.

"Honestly your stamina amazes me… guess I've got more training to do myself."

"You're not gonna have any training time in prison, Izumi." Todoroki narrowed his eyes fighting back his emotions and focusing on the task at hand. "We're not letting you escape."

"Words are cheap… I'll believe it when one of you actually manages to take me down." She flicked hair from her face. "I kicked both your butts at the Sports Festival, and I've gotten way stronger since then."

"I'm not losing to you again, Usagi." Bakugo raced forward. "NEVER AGAIN!"

"Like I said…" Izumi heard the signal in her comlink and she leapt backwards and off the building. "TALK IS CHEAP!"

"What the!?" Bakugo stumbled to the edge screaming out as he watched Izumi plummet downwards. "USAGI!"

"IZUMI!" Todoroki joined him and braced a hand over his face as a gust of wind rushed up past them. The multipurpose transporter caught the falling villainess and she latched onto the top creating claws on her hands with her quirk and holding on for dear life.

The rush of adrenaline from the death-defying leap had made her face go pale and sweaty… but she laughed. She peered down through the window and saw her team manning the controls and waving to her.

"Nice timing, boys."

"USAGI!" Bakugo went to blast his way up to the jet but Todoroki held him back.

"It's no use, it's too big a risk."

"Get the hell off me! They're getting away damn it! Heroes aren't supposed to lose! I AM NOT GOING TO LOSE TO THAT DAMN RABBIT!"

Bakugo blasted his way up, using the racks of fans to help his ascension to the rooftop. He focused his quirk on the craft, his teeth gritting.

"I WON'T LET YOU WIN!"

He let loose a massive explosion that erupted over his head and in the direction of the plane. The smoke and fire covered plane and Bakugo unleashed the fury over and over and screaming in pure frustration because he knew that it wasn't going to work.

He fell to his knees holding his arms that now ached from overuse and his teary eyes stare up at the pristine plane, protected by Izumi's quirk.

"Damn you… Usagi…" He punched the ground and hung his head in defeat as the plane disappeared into the night. "Villains aren't supposed to win."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: I may have rushed this chapter a little, but I hope you enjoyed the action anyway. This concludes the I-Island arc, but there's way more in store. Hope you're looking forward to it! **_

_**Next Chapter: The High of Victory, The Weight of Defeat. **_


	7. The high of Victory, The weight of defea

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 7: The High of Victory, The weight of defeat**

"There they go…" Clone Karma watched the OG Karma and her merry band of thieves make their escape. Lounging back in the security chair she switches camera angles to peek in on the party. Wolfram paced the floor behind All Might, looking irritable and impatient for results. "Now what to do about you?"

She'd tied up both David Shield and Sam and debated on how she wanted to handle things from there. She could just reboot the system and let the heroes take out Wolfram and his crew… but it seemed unnecessary since her former classmates were already on their way to do just that. She eyed the clock on the wall. The group was running up from the 140th floor… with sixty floors between them and the security box she figured she had abour 20 minutes before they arrived. It would give her just enough time to leave her mark on I-Island before the heroes went into action.

"So… let's get up close and personal, shall we?" Standing up she grabbed both Sam and David by their shirt collars into the elevator and pressed the down out her throwing knife she admired the shine and her reflection. David started to stir and she glanced in his direction before crouching down smiling. "Oh you're still conscious huh? Guess I didn't hit you hard enough."

"Why… Phoenix?" He groaned, bleeding from his temple. "Why are you doing this?"

"You're really in no position to be asking me that professor." She gently rubbed the knife over his cheek. "You may be as much of a victim as the rest of the hostages, but your failure to resist temptation has led us all here. Now Karma's coming back to bite you in the ass like the true bitch that she is."

"That may be…" he laughed sourly. "...but if that's the case, she's coming back tenfold for you."

"Oh you poor thing…" She pat his cheek giving him a sympathetic look. "She came for me a long time ago." She grinned at him and grabbed his face smacking his head hard against the elevator wall. He slumped over, unconscious again, and she stood up straight to enjoy the leisurely trip down the elevator.

When the elevator doors opened she dragged them both with her and eyed the two guards watching the door. They gave her one long speculative look before opening the door and letting her in.

Wolfram glanced up and was immediately up and strutting to her with a sneer.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? They're supposed to be…"

"They've fulfilled their usefulness, Wolfram. I'm just returning them." She dragged them past his form and propped both against the stage under All Might.

"Dave…" All Might shifted trying to look down at his friend. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing that he hasn't already done to himself, trust me…" She twirled the throwing knife in her hand. "The security system will be back up and running soon. I thought you'd heroes would appreciate having the bad guys in easy access."

"What?" All Might's head jerked up. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means we're finished here." She looked back at Wolfram with a smirk. The man looked both puzzled and intrigued. "...and you can thank the two losers at my feet for inviting us."

"Are you saying Dave was the one who-" All Might's voice trembled with disbelief.

"Well he was just along for the ride." She lifted up a boot pressing it against Sam. "The real villain is this guy here."

"Little read was tubby here who pulled the strings and convinced the professor here to dip his toe into villainy, all for the sake of his invention which is now going to be my cash cow." " Wolfram laughed but the laughter died when she whipped around, her knife going straight for his head. He stopped it just inches away from his face and his teeth grit. "The hell do you think you're doing?!"

"MY cash cow? It's kinda hard to milk something when it's not in your possession, Wolfram." She laughed at him when he pointed the sword at her. "Oh I'm so scared."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He grabbed her by her jacket pointing the knife under her chin. "Didn't you get the damn invention?"

"Oh I got it alright… along with every invention in the vault as well as a few from the expo." She grinned wickedly at his reaction and the surprised murmurs from the room. "I do wanna thank you for helping me acquire the goods. In the act of fairness I should tell you that you've fifteen minutes to get yourself and your men off the island before those kids I was fighting earlier reboot the security system. So I suggest you all leave…" she pretended to check her watch. "Um, now."

"Why you little…" he gave her one hard shake and pressed a hand to his ear. "Sworkill what's this bitch talking about? Sworkill?"

"Sorry he won't be answering your calls. He and the rest of the group from security are all taking a nap in a storage closet. They're just so lazy." She laughed and flipped another knife up to knock the other one out of his hand and away from her. It flipped and embedded in the wall behind All Might. "Now I'll tell you again, Wolfram. Get your sorry ass off the island before All Might here recuperates and kicks it from here to Brooklyn."

"Don't play smart with me, Phoenix! You're bluffing, otherwise why would you be here instead of making your own escape?" He shoved an accusing finger in her face.

"That's not my name. You don't know my real villain name, neither do most of the people on this island. So the reason I haven't left …" She removed the wig and mask and tossed her messy black and green locks free. "Is to change that."

"Little Midori?" All Might blinked in surprise when she revealed her true face to the crowd. Wolfram grit his teeth staring at this young woman whose face looked so innocent and yet the crazed look in her eyes offset everything innocent about her.

"I created the alias Phoenix for security purposes, but now that I've got what I wanted it's time I let everyone here know who I am." She stepped back and spread open Sam's shirt to show the letters she'd carved into his chest. "The name is Karma… remember it well heroes and villains… because it's the name that's gonna change the world."

"Why you little…" Wolfram pulled out his gun ready to place a bullet right in the middle of that smug face of hers. As his finger traced the trigger the security features revert to normal; the binds that held all the heroes down released, the security robots in the city disperse, and All Might jumped from his spot on stage snagging Karma out of harm's way just as the bullet zipped by.

"Whoa, nice save…" She smirked up at him and grunted when his grip increased on her as if to make sure she didn't move. She went along for the ride as he proceeded to help take down Wolfram's men. The boss in questioned cursed and made a dash for the elevator to make his escape. "Oi, All Might, you're letting the boss get away."

"You be quiet, Young Midoriya. You may have helped stall the villains, but you're still under arrest."

"Give her to me, All Might Sensei…" Mirio suddenly appeared, wearing only his tux pants and looking pissed off. "I won't let her escape again."

"Good timing, Young Mirio." He shoved Izumi at him and hurried after the boss.

"Hello again Senpai." She looked down as Mirio cuffed her with the same cuffs from before. She raised a brow holding up the cuffed hands. "You can't be that stupid. You do remember these don't work on me right?" "

"I'm well aware, but I'm not letting you fool me a second time, Karma." He hissed out her villain name and carried her to the pile of villains that were being round up. She sat with her arms bunched behind her. "You may be able to easily break out of those cuffs, but you'll have to get past me if you want to escape… and I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"Whatever you say… but you really shouldn't let All Might take on Wolfram alone." She shrugged. "The man's been holding that form for hours, it's only a matter of minutes before he loses his strength and reveals his weakness."

Mirio tensed up and he narrowed his eyes.

"Unlike you I trust All Might. He won't let the villains escape."

"You really are a fool." She lounged back, crossing her legs. "He already did."

**~Back with the true Villains~**

"The video feed cut out." The Original Karma told her crew and lowered the device with a sigh. "Too bad, it was getting really interesting there at the end." She walked down the small hallway of the multipurpose ship and called out to Dabi and Twice who were messing with some of the mechanisms. "Did you find it yet?"

"Not yet…" Dabi informed her with a grunt. "I really wish we had an expert in mechanics or something. I don't even know what the hell I'm looking for."

"It's a tracking unit, it should be plenty easy to spot." She pulled out the digital blueprints, scrolled through and magnified the picture. "It looks like this… kinda like a cable box but with these extra pieces here…"

"Yeah, yeah I saw the damn picture, but there's like a hundred things that look like that."

"Clearly there's not," She shoved the blueprints at him. "Try harder and stop complaining."

"I'd like to see you try and decipher between one cable box from another down here…" He grumbled and grunted when Twice bumped into him. "Watch it."

"FOUND IT!" Twice held up the box ripping the cables out. "Dismantled!"

"Excellent." Karma grinned and high fived Twice. "Nice work, boys. Now that we're off the radar let's take this thing into the water and try out its underwater capabilities… We'll need to find a nice stashing place somewhere within Kurogiri's warping limit."

"Yes, my Queen." Compress who sat at the controls gently glided the plane down and flipped some switches. "I have to warn you though, I'm not a pilot so this may get a little turbulent. Get strapped in and brace for any sudden impacts."

Despite his humble speech, Compress eased the craft into the water, the transition between plane to submarine effortless and brought on a sense of giddiness amongst the crew. Since Karma was kind enough to give him the tablet with the ship's capabilities and blueprints, Dabi took a moment to scroll through the manual.

"Apparently this thing runs on a clean biodegradable energy source. We can locate sources of it relatively easy, but it's not cheap."

"The better the toys, the higher the price tag." Karma followed up and unbuckled her seatbelt so she could get closer to the window and admire the underwater life. "Totally worth it though."

"Can we just take a moment to appreciate the fact we just got away with the biggest heist in villain history?" Twice said, emphasizing his excitement with his usual elaborate posing. "We totally sucked today!"

"I wouldn't say the biggest heist as I think Wendigo's Multi-billion dollar bank heist during the Pre-All Might era was probably just as big, but he didn't have to go through a Tartarus-like security system so yeah Kudos to us." Karma agreed. "I can't wait to see the look on Tomura and the others faces when we come home with the cargo. They're gonna be struck speechless."

"That'll be the day." Dabi muttered and unbuckled so he could lean in over Karma's shoulder. "So wanna tell me what happened on the roof? Did your little fight with Explosion boy and the prodigal son ruffle your feathers?"

"What are you talking about?" She looked over her shoulder at him. He pointed his fingers to his eyes then back at hers.

"You had that same sickened look on your face that you did in the arena. Don't tell me that little wannabe hero got under your skin again."

"Of course not, don't exaggerate. I was just tired from the fight. In case you didn't notice it was two on one and they're not pushovers." She shoved him back and stuck her tongue in her cheek.

"I don't buy it Karma." He pulled her away from the window and lowered his voice so the other two couldn't hear. "You may have fooled the others but you can't fool me."

"Don't read into it Dabi." She squeezed his hand, her eyes taking a pleading look. "We won, its over, let's just enjoy the victory okay?"

"Alright...but you will tell me what's going on in there." He stroked her temple affectionately. "I can't protect my queen if she's not willing to share what's hurting."

"You may be a knight, but you being so chivalrous and charming..." She shoved his hand away blushing. "...is really creeping me out."

"Would it make you feel better if I said it sarcastically while patting you on the head, short stuff?" He used her head to rest his arm on and made her laugh.

"There's my Dabi." She smirked and moved from under him to poke her nose into the window again. Dabi took his seat again, and contemplated the stirring ache he felt in his chest when she called him "her Dabi."

**~Back with the Heroes~**

"Thanks again for your help, Young Ones." All Might finished securing Wolfram who was unconscious after the final battle. All Might's form started to smoke and whither and he coughed up some blood into his hand and sighed heavily at his students. "With your help we've captured the villains."

"Not all of them…" Bakugo grit his teeth and held his sore arms. "Usagi got away."

"Hmmm? Little… that is Karma is downstairs with Young Mirio. She's been apprehended." All Might explained but Bakugo shook his head.

"No she's not… I don't know who that is, but she's not Usagi."

"He's right, Uncle Might." Melissa walked up folding her hands. "Karma and the league completely cleaned out the vault while Wolfram kept everyone hostage downstairs. I think that Karma that's in custody is a fake."

"It can't be…" All Might dropped to his knees and looked at his bony fingers. He shook and grit his teeth. "I… failed?"

"We failed…" Shoto corrected and hung his head. "Bakugo and I had her cornered, two on one… but she gave us the slip. It's our fault she and the rest of the league got away. We're sorry."

"We are too All Might." Uraraka agreed and wiped at tears. "We were all so shaken up by the fact she was here. We told ourselves that we'd take her on, that we'd bring her to justice… but all of us still are having a hard time coming to terms that she's one of them."

The entire class bowed apologetically and All Might felt both pride and shame in this.

"Do not blame yourselves, young heroes." He stood up again and bat away a quick tear to hide it from sight. "You're still students, and despite the loss we still managed to capture a dangerous villain before he had a chance to hurt anyone. Still I think all of us need to come to terms with the fact that young Midoriya is not on our side anymore."

"I'm not so sure about that…" Shoto spoke up looking at his hands. "From what I saw, I don't think Midoriya's really accepted the fact she's a villain."

"What the fuck are you talking about, Icy Hot?" Bakugo whirled on him. "You heard everything she said. We were just toys for her to play with on a string. She just duped us all and got away with billions of dollars in hero items. How is that not the deeds of a villain?"

"I agree with Todoroki…" Mirio stepped out onto the roof carrying an evidence back of dirt-like material. "Some things don't add up."

"Young Mirio, where is-" All Might started to ask where Karma was at but Mirio held up the evidence bag to answer his question.

"One of the guards got a little rough with her, and she just disintegrated into this. She was a clone of some sort, probably meant to distract us while she and her team got away." He set the bag on the unconscious Wolfram's lap and stood up straight. "As I was saying… there's some things that don't add up to me."

"Such as?" Bakugo asked irritably and tapped his fingers.

"For starters, if Izumi was 100% a villain then why didn't she kill me when she had the chance? She'd tricked me, had subdued me and left me helpless in my own hotel room. She could have stabbed me or shot me and rid herself of a possible threat. She could have taken my hero costume, but she left it and all my other valuables in the room with me."

"So she's sloppy…" Kaminari started to suggest but Shoto held up a hand.

"No… Izumi's not the type to do something like this without thinking it through thoroughly. If she really wanted Senpai dead she would have done it." He thought about the words Izumi had spoken to him the day of the sports festival.

"_I believe in fairness, and you weren't playing with all your pieces." _

"Some pieces are missing…" He murmured rubbing his chin. "During our fight… She told us to treat her like a villain, to not hold back because she had no reason to… and yet I felt like she wasn't fighting us seriously. I felt like she was just biding her time, distracting us rather than confronting us."

"She was outnumbered and you guys have better combat ability." Kirishima tried to rationalize but Shoto shook his head.

"That doesn't matter. Senpai is far better at combat then we are, yet she confronted him head on. She challenged him, and took him down, but didn't finish the job despite the fact he's clearly a threat and would only trust her less after this encounter." He continued to explain.

"Raugh!" Bakugo snarled and paced away still rubbing his wrists. "This is so fucking stupid! I've never been able to figure out what that damn rabbit is thinking."

"I know the feeling, Katsuki-kun." Mirio folded his arms. "I felt ashamed when she got the better of me. When I was watching over her clone I had time to think about everything that had happened. Karma told me that the reason she took me out ahead of time was because she wanted to ensure that she and her team could get off the island safely. She wasn't after hurting anyone, or killing anyone."

"Hey in case you forgot she knocked me flat on my back!" Kaminari pointed to himself.

"Actually you did that yourself." Jirou corrected.

"Whatever!" He growled at her, sore that his ego had been bruised more than his body. "What was the point in all this? If she wasn't after villain stuff then why was she here on the island in the first place?"

"She was after the goods." Mirio responded and crossed his arms. "It was all about the technology that you can't get anywhere else. She's leading a group a villains that is only going to gain a more solid following after all the exposure she's received. This makes her responsible for the lives, weapons, and overall support of her comrades and that has to cost a great deal of money."

"The last piece," Mirio crouched back down in front of Wolfram and lifted up the bag of dirt. "She left a clone behind to warn Wolfram to escape off the island before the security system went back online. He didn't listen, but that's on him. None of the heroes downstairs knew what was going on, she could have left Wolfram to get caught by the security system but she didn't. Any normal villain would toss aside flunkies to escape on their own."

"There's still a hero in there," Todoroki nodded and held his heart. He closed his eyes thinking of the way Izumi looked and acted and he read in between the sarcasm and boast. "Izumi's always the type to hide her true emotions… she's bottling up her good and heroic qualities because she feels she has to. This isn't what she wants, this isn't who she is. I can feel it. We haven't lost her yet, guys."

"Alright, that's enough." All Might held up his hands and motioned his class and pupil to simmer. "I want to believe what you say is true… but the truth of the matter is Little Midori IS a villain. She's made her choice to walk the path of villainy and so long as she continues to walk that path it is our duty as heroes to capture her and bring her to justice."

"All Might's right, you guys." Uraraka said with a grim face. "As much as I want to believe in her, we can't continue to let our feelings cloud our judgement. She's gonna expose it and use it to win against us every time."

"Yes but…" Shoto started to protest but then glanced back when Bakugo put a hand on his shoulder. "Bakugo?"

"Do you really think Usagi is the kind of person to let someone talk her into something she doesn't want to do?" He gripped his shoulder harder. "

"Are you really okay with that, Bakugo?" He turned to him fully. "I know we're not exactly friends but I know you care about Izumi more than any of us here."

"The Izumi I care about isn't the one stealing things and killing people." He let go and fisted his hand at his sides. "My Usagi would never do that. Even if she's buried down there somewhere…" Bakugo tapped his temple. "She's been damaged beyond repair because of the psycho that's taken control. I don't know about you, but I refuse to let that psychopath hurt her anymore. The next time I see that bitch, I'm taking her down no matter the stakes!"

Shoto looked down at his left hand, remembered Izumi's words, her determination, and her smile. Then recalled the woman he'd seen on the platform: cold, sarcastic, and completely lost to the demons inside. She had helped him out of a dark place, had helped him grow stronger and appreciate and respect the power given to him even if it came from a dark place. He wanted to help her, he wanted to save her.

"I want to help Izumi… but in order to do that…" Shoto suddenly looked up fierce and determined. "We have to take down the bitch that's holding her down."

Bakugo smirked and the two of them slapped palms.

"From now on...no mercy."

**~Ask Briry~ **

**Briry: I LIVE! I've been in limbo for ages and I finally got the chance to write again! I'm sorry it took so long to get another chapter up guys but I'm doing my best with the whole life juggling act. I'm determined to finish all of my projects so please have faith! **

**Next Chapter: Inner Demons**


	8. Inner Demons

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 8: Inner Demons**

He'd all but forgotten his past.

So when he dreamed of his family, the vicious nightmare tore him from sleep with violent tremors and pure outrage. Through the muddled and cloudy memories he remembered feeling helpless, scared, and completely abandoned by the people who were supposed to love and comfort him.

"_Never talk about heroes in this house!"_

"_Wanting to be a hero will cause nothing but trouble." _

"_Heroes are people who abandon their families to help complete strangers."_

The bitter voice of his father echoed in his mind and made him want to curl up in a ball and cover his ears. With the gloves Karma had given him it allowed him to rub at his face, press his palms to his temples and let his emotions and fears just crawl out of his skin.

Why was he remembering that man now? Why was that awful and terrifying time ripping through his mind after all this time?

He looked around the room. He saw Toga curled up in a ball beside him, half dressed and the guise of Karma completely melted off. Without Karma there to supply the blood for her transformation he'd overused that method of comfort and was left with nothing but a poor substitute.

"Karma…" he got out of bed and walked to the window pressing his hand to the glass. Where was she? Where was the one person who knew exactly what to say to calm his heart and make him feel at peace?

She was with HIM!

That stupid zombie was monopolizing more and more of her time and it was damn infuriating. He didn't care if the logic made sense or if Dabi was technically reliable and useful to him and the league. The guy was stepping out of alignment, gaining more and more influence over his woman and he didn't care for it.

"Tomura-kun?" Toga sat up looking sleepy eyed and oddly adorable with her mussed up hair, and rumpled shirt he let her borrow. "What's wrong?"

"None of your business, go back to sleep or if you're awake then get out." He said grumpily, his eyes staring out at the slowly rising sun. He tensed up and grunted when he felt a hand on his back. Turning his head he glared at her. "I told you to go."

"You seem sad. Do you want me to try turning into Queeny again?"

"I don't want a replacement, I want the real thing." He clenched his fist against the cool glass of the window. "How much longer is she going to make me wait!?"

"I'm sure she'll be back soon." She pouted when he shrugged her off. Poking her fingers together she tried to think of something to cheer him up and then a smile suddenly split her face. "I know, why don't we go out and have some fun? We can find a hero to kill and release another video with Ace and Broadcast. You like doing that!"

"It's not the same without Karma…" He walked away from the window and started to pace. "She makes the scripts, picks the targets."

"You didn't have a script when you put Queeny on trial. Look at how well that turned out."

"It's still not the same. There's nothing driving me, nothing acting as inspiration. Everything feels empty." He holds his chest as the pain ached there. "When she's not here the world comes back, this suffocating and infuriating world. I want to escape it, destroy it, I can't-"

He trailed off as Toga placed her hands on his face and looked into his eyes with surprising sympathy.

"It hurts, doesn't it Tomura-kun?" She gently ran fingers over his face. "This world is just too hard to live in. No one understands us, no one shows any sympathy for those of us born a little different, who long to belong and yet can't."

"Yes…" he murmured the reply, his hands slowly coming up to clasp over hers.

"Queeny promised to change the world… but it's hard being so patient when we want to destroy everything around us. Queeny knows us, she understands and tries so hard to help us." She stepped closer to him, her blonde hair ,free from their normal twin buns framed her face giving a softened look. "We're the same, Tomura-kun. We both want a world that accepts us the way she does."

"Yes," his head tilted some, their lips brushing just a moment creating that spark of attraction. For a moment, just another moment Tomura let himself take in the comfort of Toga's understanding. The kiss wasn't like the fiery passion or need he felt with Karma… but something sweeter, softer, and yet somehow much deadlier.

"Shigaraki, I've just received Karma's signal and they're-" He opens the door and sees the embrace. He quickly cut himself off, his face showing a great deal of expression for being a open void. "I beg your pardon, My King. I didn't realize you were busy."

Tomura pulled back from the kiss and held Toga back at arm's length. Her face had gone flushed and her grin wide and stupid as she stare lovingly a Tomura.

"She's back?" he ignored the gooey puddle that was Toga and brush past her.

"Er um yes…" he cleared his throat. "She followed it up with a text message asking me to wake you and bring you along. I can tell her you're busy if you want to continue your… um business?"

"No need, business is concluded." He snagged on some proper clothes. He gave Toga one glance and grunted. "You just gonna stand there all dazed or put on some clothes you twit?"

"EH?" Toga blinked and then giggled holding her cheeks. "Right, I'll go do that." She skipped out humming happily to herself.

"Do I want to know what happened?" Kurogiri asked as he opened the portal for them both.

"Nothing of consequence happened, and if you tell Karma otherwise I may have to kill you." He scratched at his neck stepping through the dark.

**~With Karma's gang~**

Karma lifted her head up from admiring one of many gadgets in the haul and smiled brightly as Tomura stepped through the portal. She dropped the equiment back in its box and ran to him arms spread wide open and she leapt at him. Tomura held her tightly breathing in her scent and for the first time in nearly a week relaxed.

"You're late."

"I know…" she murmured and pulled back stroking his face. "Forgive me, but we had some complications."

Tomura could barely peel his eyes away from her face, but the sheer size of the room was too grand to ignore. They were in some kind of underground facility, the jury rigged lighting system blinking every once in awhile to indicate its low power source.

"I see that didn't stop you from your shopping spree…" He pulled her with him, refusing to let her go. "Where the hell are we and where did you get all this stuff?"

"The facility is an abandoned underwater research facility that was shut down due to illegal experimentation on marine wildlife. As for where we got the goods, we got them from I-Island." She explained and laughed when his face stare at her in disbelief. "I know right? I can hardly believe it myself." She gripped his hand and tugged him through the maze of cases and crates holding the goods. "Costume materials, experimental products, new and inventive hero items. We even scored a transport." She motioned to the docking system where they parked the craft. "We call it "Black Steed" and it's the one item for sure I'm not giving up for sale."

"Sale?" Curiousity getting the better of him he let go of her long enough to open up a case and admire the tech inside. "You're actually planning to sell all of this?"

"Yes, the market for I-Island technology is ridiculous with figures. Even sell just a few pieces would keep us in comfort for decades."

"Impressive," Kurogiri clapped his hands in applaud and Karma took a bow. "Another brilliant execution."

"Somewhat, as I said we ran into some complications, but I'm pretty sure we shook any eyes that may have been following us."

"What kind of complications?" Tomura asked and grunted when Dabi stepped into view holding one of the digital handbooks.

"The hero kind," Dabi explained. "All Might was on the island as well as the kids from U.A."

"What?" Tomura looked to Karma who sent a withering glance in Dabi's direction.

"It was a minor complication and one we handled." She snagged the handbook and walked over to Kurogiri going over the inventory process of getting the sellable items logged and ready to ship out.

"Don't let that poker face fool you, King." Dabi warned stuffing his hands in his pockets. "The encounter shook her up pretty bad. I nearly called off the whole thing just to get us out of there, but Karma was determined to muscle through it."

"Damn those brats for always interfering…" he cracked a knuckle and narrowed his eyes at Dabi. "Did she at least finish them off this time?"

"No, she was adament about now killing anyone."

"Stupid, her sensibilities are gonna get us all killed one day." He started to pace. "I don't care if the mission was a success, those brats and All Might are the one thing standing in the way of our complete dominance over society."

"When you spend a lot of time with someone you either hate them irrevocably or start forming a bond. Karma is the latter. She says Izumi Midoriya died with Nakahara, but I'm not convinced. If we don't remove that bond she has with U,A, then like you said it's going to be her downfall."

"I won't let it happen…" Already coming up with a plan Tomura turned his eyes to his queen, her face full of excitement and energy. "Mark my words, U.A. high school is going to be the first thing of hero society to fall to its knees."

**~A few days later~**

Karma kept busy by helping log inventory and working with Ace and Giran to sell bits and pieces of the equipment at a time. Little by little their hidden account grew a more steady income and she could feel the knots of tension in her body slowly release.

At the rate they were going, she was certain they could afford to purchase some land and a more comfortable base to work as a headquarters. She started picturing underground training facilities, lavish bedrooms, and a view that would have made her old sensei weep from pride.

...and that was an uncomfortable thought.

She hadn't given an old man a thought since the day she killed him. Any mention of his death or murder she'd quickly brushed off as an annoyance, but this was the first time in awhile she'd actually pictured him alive and active.

Was she finally starting to feel the guilt?

This was the path he'd chosen for her wasn't it? What was the point of killing a man who had her best interest at heart?

...and that was a load of shit, she decided.

No, she'd killed him for good reason. The man was self centered, controlling, and had nearly torn her and Tomura apart with his mind games and obsession to destroy All Might. He didn't care about her or Tomura or even the league. All he cared about was his final goal.

She was a different leader. While she did have a goal in mind it was a goal she and her entire crew shared. She brought these villains together and formed a bond with them like a real family. She cared for each individual and their needs. Isn't that why she'd risked her neck on I-Island to begin with?

That was another thing. Her sensei had no personal risk in any of his plans. Being crippled from his fight with All Might left him free to watch from the sidelines and let his subordinates handle the dirty work. She on the other hands got in personal. SHE made the risks, SHE saw the plans through personally and worked hard to achieve her goal. Nothing could stand in the way of that!

"_You were our friend first!" _

Todoroki's voice suddenly pitched in her mind and she dropped the tablet in her hand to clutch at her head.

"_We trusted you, believed in you!" _

The guilt and fear pitched in her gut so hard that she wanted to throw up. Her eyes darted around, she spotted Twice and Ace working in tandem with each other to handle several of the smaller items in their stores and she quickly backed away and around a pile of crates so her panic attack could go on without interruption.

Her breathing shortened and she curled up in a ball trying to stop the shaking.

"_They've warped you Usagi! They're trying to turn you into something you're not and you're playing right into their hands!" _

Damn him! Damn THEM! She'd barely blinked an eye when she went up against Senpai. When Uraraka and the others had approached her on the roof she'd felt so confident and in control. Yet when her disguise came off, and both Bakugo and Todoroki had taken front and center her confidence had wavered and she felt her heart ache and twist.

"Go away, Izumi…" She told her inner self and clenched her fists. "You're not in control anymore. You're not going to ruin this for me you stupid child!" She pulled out one of her throwing knives and sliced it over her wrist letting the pain ease away the guilt and memory of her former self.

After a minute or two she finally calmed and held the bleeding wrist. Her face was pale and sweaty from her panic attack but she smiled to spite it.

"Much better…"

"Queeny?" Toga looked down at her from atop the crates. "I smelled blood, what are you doing?"

"Toga… it's nothing I just-" she cut off when Toga landed in front of her and took her wrist. She placed her mouth over the wound and licked and suckled it. FIlled with affection Karma smiled at her and pet between her twin buns. "Thanks… I got a little carried away."

"Mmmmm I love it when you bleed. You're so cool and beautiful when you do. I want to see more blood, but Tomura-kun wouldn't like it if I killed you." She sighed and pulled out a bandana to wrap the wound.

"Tomura-kun?" Izumi laughed. "Since when are you on a first name basis with him?"

"We got very close while you were gone." She blushed and giggled. "He even kissed me."

"He…" that caused a sharp pain in her stomach. "What?"

"Hey, Queeny… I like Tomura-kun." She lifted her face, the expression a bit love sick but in a twisted fashion that had Izumi's blood running cold. "I like being close to him, letting him hug me, and kiss me." Her true self started to melt away and Izumi watched her become a mirror image of herself. "Can we share him?"

**~Later~**

Dabi cracked up after hearing Karma retell the tale. He laughed so hard she was surprised his jaw didn't fall off.

"It's not that funny you asshole." She snarled it at him, her temple throbbing and fingers tapping her forearm irritably.

"I beg to differ." He snickered holding his sides. "I think it's hysterical." He held out a hand silently asking her to give him a minute to calm his laughter. He wasn't used to letting out his emotions like that but the scenario had been too humorous not to show it. "Okay… okay I'm calm."

"Oh you sure about that?" She snarled again and threw a book at him earning a few more chuckles.

"Relax, alright? So Toga's got a little crush, what's the big deal?" He shrugged it off. "You and I have sex even though you say you're devoted to him. Let him play with her and satisfy the sick fantasies in her brain."

"That's a bad idea all around for several reasons." She gripped the nearest object, which happened to be another book and got ready to chuck it at him if he said anything else stupid. "For starters if Toga falls in love with him she's liable to kill him."

"Good point." He nodded his head in agreement.

"For second, Tomura doesn't even like her. She was just a replacement for me."

"Or so he told you." He ducked the book she chucked his way, but she used her quirk to boomerang it back and catch him smartly in the back of the head. "Ow, I'm serious."

"Tomura wouldn't lie to me. He doesn't want her. He used her to keep sane while we were separated."

"That's bull shit and you know it." He stood up and snagged her chin. "He finds her attractive, and the fact that she can morph into you helps that. He's curious and hungry for more attention and Toga is willing to give it to him."

"I don't believe it!" She pulled away with a jerk of her head and turned her back to him. "Tomura loves me."

"Sure… and you love him or so you keep telling me. Yet-" he wraps his arms around her and nuzzles into her neck. "You let me in so easily."

"That… we're different." She squirmed in his hold but he only pulled her tighter to him and trailed kisses up and down her neck.

"How so?" He unzipped her costume letting the material part so he could touch more of her flesh.

"You're my knight… you're protecting me and keeping me somewhat sane." She stifled a moan and her eyes go wet from his intimate touch. "I need you. Tomura doesn't need Toga."

"Say that again…" He turned her towards him and cupped her face. Karma looked into Dabi's eyes, her heart doing one quick rap against her chest before she sank into those eyes. "Tell me who you need."

"You." She whispered it, practically praying for it. "I need you, Dabi."

"I'll always be here, My queen." He lowered her to the bed and served his queen's needs.

**~Afterward~**

Somewhere between the third and fourth orgasm Tomura had barged into the room. While the obvious rivalry and dislike between men had the air filling with tension, the shared desire and need brought them together in an experience that solidified itself in Karma's memory.

These two men knew how to make her body pliant and obey their every command. They knew just how to touch her to make her cry in pleasure and weep for joy at feeling so wanted and needed, and she in turn serviced them both in the way they deserved.

She treated Tomura like the King he was, satisfying his every want and need with little restraint or guidance. Whilst allowing Dabi to satisfy his own needs and giving him his much desired reward for his loyalty and service.

When the three of them were together, she felt so at ease, so calm and at peace with herself and her decision to be with them both.

...and yet as the night crept in sleep eluded her.

She eyed the wound on her wrist, the stitches ace had put in wrapped up in a neat and tidy bandage. When the wound healed there would be a nice new scar reminding her of her own weakness and guilt.

Not wanting to wake her two men she slipped secretly out of bed, an occurrence that was becoming more and more common. She cleaned herself up, got dressed in some comfortable jeans and other hiking gear, and decided it was time she got a look at the surrounding grounds of the cabin. She packed a quick bag filled with water, dry foods, and emergency supplies, and hefted it onto her back before exiting the grounds.

She didn't bother with a map or compass. If push came to shove she could always signal Kurogiri to pick her up. Besides the woods were so dark even with the illuminating moon she doubted it would have done her much good.

She walked down the maze of paths for nearly two hours, pausing for brief moments to slurp down water or climb a tree to get a more wide angle view of her progress. The mountain range was so vast and beautiful it was hard not to wander in further and just enjoy mother nature. She didn't mind the bugs, or the lingering wildlife. She knew she could protect herself if need be and it left her feeling free and calm once again.

"I could stay out here for days…" she murmured to herself as she climbed atop a large hill and spotted a cavern. "Well now look at this." She peeked her head in and looked around. Maybe she should have taken a map after all. This would be a great place to-

"Who the hell are you?"

The voice had Izumi crawling back up, panicking as she whirled around and saw a little boy with a hard expression and bunched fists. He wore a red hat with little horns, his black hair leaking out the back and sides. He couldn't have been more than six years old and despite being so young looked ready to punch her.

"I guess I wandered farther than I thought." she murmured to herself and offered a polite smile. "Well hi there, what's your name?"

"Izumi…"

"Eh?" She blinked in surprise at that.

"Kota Izumi…" He explained and crossed his arms. "Now I repeat, who the hell are you?"

**~Ask Briry~**

**Dun dun dun! Plot twist, lol. Sorry for the long delay in updates you guys, i swear I'm working as fast as I can. Please be patient! **

**Next Chapter: Kota and the Pussycats **


	9. Kota and the Pussycats

**Midori the Queen **

**Chapter 9: Kota and the Pussycats**

Kota Izumi...she hadn't expected to run into any kind of camper let alone a kid this deep in the woods. He looked at her like she was trespassing, which okay yeah she could very well be. She hadn't really explored much of the area or gotten her bearings when she left which she had to admit was stupid on her part.

Without much choice she decided to play the role of lost camper and hoped it would alleviate any suspicion. He was just a kid after all, how hard could it be to gain his favor?

"It's nice to meet you Kota…" she laughed and scratched her cheek. "I'm sorry but I kinda got turned around on the trail. Got a bit excited about the hike."

"You're a camper? What are you n stupid?" He grunted and had a knot forming at her temple. "This is private grounds and you're trespassing!"

"Oh well forgive me you little-" she trailed off and looked curious. "Wait a minute, private land? Who does this land belong to?"

"Doesn't matter, like I said you're trespassing. Now leave!"

"Hmph…" She turned from him stepping out towards the edge and looking over the land in question. She saw the signs of a clearing at the base of the mountain. "The Pussycats…"

"Figured it out huh?" he chastised.

"Well considering the area we're in and the types of facilities that could be located here that would allow small children such as yourself to wander I could only assume it was a hero agency. The most well known in these parts are the Wild, Wild, Pussycats but I didn't think their agency was so remote."

"Are you still talking?" Kota grunted in frustration and grabbed her arm trying to pull her away. "I said get lost! This is my secret hideout! You can't be here!"

"So bossy…" She grunted looking down at the boy. In a way… in many ways actually, he reminded her of Kacchan. Full of nostalgia and sudden affection she turned her hand around to clasp his catching him off guard.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!"

"I'm lost, remember?" Wanting to tease him she sent a flirty smile to the dumbfounded kid. "How am I supposed to find my way back in the dark without an escort?" She cocked her head to the side. "Come on, just let me stay until the sun comes back, and then I can find the road a lot quicker."

"Tch…" Blushing, Kota clenched his teeth and let his hand go limp in hers. "Fine, you can stay, but you better leave right away." He yanked his hand free and held it to his chest.

"Okay…" she sat down on the edge and pulled her pack off and ruffled through it. She heard the sound of a rumbling stomach and let out a small chuckle. "Haven't had breakfast yet huh? Here…" she pulled out a protein bar. "This ought to tide you over."

"Humph…" he turned his nose up at first, but her coaxing eyes eventually made him crack and he swiped the bar away ripping it open. "What the hell are you doing out here in the middle of the night anyway?" He plopped next to her and munched on the bar.

"Escaping…" She said and bit into her own bar. "I needed the walk and alone time. I've had my fill of alone for now so I don't mind the unexpected company." She sent him a quick smile. "This is a nice place to escape, I can see why you made it your secret base."

"Yeah… it is." He mumbled between bites.

"I never really had a secret base when I was a kid, except the occasional blanket fort I made with my mom." She laughed a little at the memory. "Kinda makes me wish I'd grown up in a place like this. There are so many places to hide away… and all this space where you can just escape."

"Not as many as you'd think. There's always somebody somewhere watching you, or just being plain annoying. Which is why I like this place. Nobody bugs me here, or didn't until you showed up." he said sending her a grumpy look and making her laugh again.

"Sorry."

"It's whatever… you're here and soon you won't be." He shrugged and handed her the empty wrapper. "Don't litter."

"Yes sir…" she took the trash and put it in her pack. "I can understand that need for privacy, Kota. The world is always watching, always lingering and waiting for you to do something stupid. It makes you afraid to express yourself, or just be who you are. What the majority of the world sees and wants doesn't always agree with your viewpoints and it-" she pauses and laughs. "Listen to me getting theoretical with a kid your age. I'm probably boring you to tears."

"Not really…" He twiddled his thumbs, his hard expression softening at her speech. "I kinda get it."

"Mmmm…" She watched his expression, the thoughtfulness, the deep emotions lingering in his eyes. "You really are so much like him. It's almost frightening."

"Like who?" He turned his eyes up.

"My childhood friend… we were really close for the longest time and kinda just…" her expression saddened as she looked back to the sky. The darkness started to lighten from the rising sun making the stars blink away one by one. "...drifted apart."

"Why?"

"Different ideals, I guess." She pulled her legs to her chest. "I tend to ramble so stop me if I get annoying." She lay her chin on her drawn up knees. "My friend, I call him Kacchan, he and I grew up wanting the same things, liking the same stuff, but as we got older our goals started to differentiate. Kacchan wants to, and has always wanted to be the Number One hero. He's suited for it too… strong, determined, smart, competitive… and even though he's a bit conceited he's got a kind heart hiding behind his bravado."

"Heroes are stupid…" Kota grunted and leaned back on his hands. "Your friend sounds stupid too. He sounds like a big show off who only cares about himself."

"Well…" Karma couldn't help but smile at that apt description of her childhood friend. "You're not wrong, but why do you think heroes are stupid?"

"Heroes, Villains, doesn't matter what label you give them they're all stupid. All using their quirks to show off or to hurt people. There's nothing honorable or glorifying in that."

Karma's amused expression faded and she turned her full attention to this little boy who glared at the sunrise as if it owed him something. Karma, in theory, wasn't just about reward and payment of people's actions… it was the influences of moments like this that lead you towards your path and future. This walk had started off as nothing more than to get away, to breathe and relax her busy mind. What she found was a connection to this boy, and his outlook on society.

"You're right…" she murmured and a tear slipped down her cheek as something released in her chest. "You're exactly right, Kota. I feel exactly the same way."

"You do?" Surprised by her confession and tears he looked up with wide and eager eyes.

"Yes, yes this is exactly the kind of thinking that caused Kacchan and I to drift apart." She swiped her tears sniffling. "I made promises to him and to myself that I'd become a hero like him… but the more I went down that path, the more I realized I didn't want any part of it. What's the point in being a hero when you're really not accomplishing anything? Light, Dark, Hero, Villain, none of it exists. We're all selfish people wanting attention and abusing our powers to gain it."

"Yeah, Yeah!" Feeling relieved that someone agreed with him for the first time Kota stood up and clenched his fists. "There's no difference at all. I totally get that!"

"Thank you, Kota." She beamed a teary smile at him. "It feels so good to have someone agree with my opinion. I've been suffocated by these images for so long. I really feel like myself again."

"You're welcome… and hey I know you said you had to leave but, you can come back here if you want. You can escape here whenever you want, and just be yourself."

"Thanks, I think I'll take you up on that." She grabbed his face and kissed his forehead. She found it amusing that his little face went bright red from the contact and he pressed his hand to the place she'd just lay her lips. "Well i should get back before my crew finds out I'm missing. Want to walk me back toward the path?"

"S-sure I can do that." He took her hand whens he stood and offered it to him. She let him walk ahead of her making it seem as though he were leading her even though she'd known the right direction to begin with. "So, what's your name?"

"My name?" She tilted her head to the side wondering what she should tell him. Izumi was dead, the only thing left of her was bitter and nostalgic memories that were hindering her job. Better, she thought, to go with her current persona. "My friends call me Karma, so you can call me that."

"Karma? That's such a weird name and it doesn't suit you at all." Kota wrinkled his nose at it and made her pause and glance down at him. "Are all your friends stupid?"

It should have been funny, she very nearly laughed… but his offhand comment had struck a chord. The name Karma didn't suit her? She'd chosen it herself, it was the name that defined who she was and what she was trying to accomplish. How could it not?

"Well, I guess you could call me Izumi."

"Izumi? Like my surrogate name?" He thought about it, pausing briefly to look up and down and then his smirk came fast. "Yeah, Izumi fits you way better. I'll call you that. None of that big sis or Nee-san stuff."

"Okay…" she agreed and finally let out a small laugh. "I can deal with that."

"So you're gonna come back tomorrow right? I'll bring some games or something and we can play at the base. "

"Mmmm sure, I'll even bring my favorite game and teach you how to play." She crouched down and tapped his nose grinning. "After all, we're friends, right Kota?"

"Yeah!" He smiled for the first time and his big grin brought back all the nostalgia of her time with Kacchan when they were kids. She could picture his face, the messy blonde hair and smug smile. She could still remember how it felt to have Kacchan hold her hand and how he pulled her along as they went on adventures. Caught up in the moment she pulled Kota in and hugged him, burying her face in his little neck.

"Thank you, Kota."

~ **Later at HQ~**

"Where the hell were you?" Shigaraki grunted at her when she walked through the door.

"I took a hike, you should try it sometime as the woods are beautiful in the morning." She set her pack down and pulled out a fresh bottle of water from the fridge and downed it. "I was tempted to call Kurogiri though… I wandered a little too far and now my feet are killing me."

"Serves you right for sneaking off." He watched her plop on the couch and rub at her feet. "Anything interesting to report?"

"Yes, actually… if you'd like to call everyone else in, I have a group wide warning."

"A warning?" He questioned and pressed a button on the intercom system. Three rapid beeps could be heard echoing throughout the house. There were groans and complaints that followed, but one by one her league correlated to the living room and stood in front of her and Tomura who joined her on the couch.

"Sorry to wake you all up so early, but I went on a little adventure this morning and wanted to share some information that's crucial." She told them.

"What kind of information calls for a sunrise wake-up call?" Dabi complained and rubbed the back of his neck.

"For starters we're just outside the territory of a hero agency."

The yawn coming out of twice's mouth stopped in his throat and he looked at her wide eyed.

"Seriously?"

"Dead… The Wild, wild, pussycats. They're veterans with at least 12 years of hero duty under their belt. They excel in forest rescue missions, but I know at least two of them have battling experience. Couldn't tell you what their quirks are though, they don't really highlight that information in the guidebooks."

"Ah, now that I think about it I remember the Master had his eyes on one of the pussycats. Apparently she has a very unique and powerful quirk that allows her to gain information on someone after looking at them."

"What kind of information are we talking about?" Karma asked, her eyes serious and all the emotional baggage from earlier gone.

"Names, Locations, Quirks, Weaknesses…"

"That's enough info to completely tears us down if we're not careful. If they catch wind that we're here it could end disastrously. We should start looking for an alternate hideout to roost. Compress call Giran and get started on that. While you're at it ask him if there are any bids for the equipment we scored from I-Island. We can use the money to buy a safehouse ourselves if we need to."

"Yes, My Queen." Compress bowed and flipped open his phone to make the call."

"Twice, use your quirk to make a few clones to help you log in the rest of the goods we brought back from the island and get them ready to ship. If any of them are half finished be sure to label them properly and that all the pieces are in place as well as the blueprints and notes. Even half completed projects are worth a lofty sum to the right buyers."

"Such a pain… I'm on it!" Twice groaned then immediately perked and saluted.

"Dabi, Toga, I want you to work with Tomura. From what I understand he has some new recruits that are in need of testing. Between the three of you come up with a good test mission to send them on as a sort of initiation. Be careful not to share too much information with them just in case they get caught or are spy inserts."

"Understood, but what will you do?" Dabi questioned.

"I'm taking a quick nap before I get back to what I do best." She stood up. "We completed our first objective in attaining some financial stability, but our main goal is still far out of reach. I need to figure out what I want our next statement piece to be, and after all the fuss we made on I-Island more people are listening in." Her smirk cracked her calm expression and made those green eyes light with mischief. "Let's really give them something to talk about."

**~Meanwhile at U.A. Highschool~**

With the latest information from I-Island now worldwide news the security of the students was top priority. It was decided that instead of holding camp at their initial location it would be held at a special offsite location that was known only to a select few.

"I don't see the point…" Bakugo grunted as he took his seat on the bus. "It's not Usagi and her league of losers WANT to get caught."

"They're just being cautious man." Kirishima pat his shoulder and took the seat next to him. "Remember Midoriya used to be one of us, and she knows everyone's strengths and weaknesses, we're an easy target if they decide to get violent."

"Did you really have to put that thought into our heads Kirishima!?" Mineta cowered and turned white. "I don't want to think about what would happen if we met with her entire crew. I watched a replay of those trial videos and every single one of those guys is bad news! We're lucky we didn't encounter any on the island."

"Senpai pointed out the same thing when we filled in what we knew to the police." Shoto spoke up from the row behind them. "Aside from Karma no other members of her crew were confirmed to be there, or if they were they remained at a distance. I think that was to ensure they stayed busy and no one got hurt."

"Putting in another vote for "Usagi is still good" bit? Well I don't buy it." Bakugo grunted and Shoto shrugged in response.

"And I don't buy your attitude towards it." He retorted and opened a book to read during the trip. "You already cast your vote a long time ago, and just don't want to admit it."

When Bakugo only grunted Kirishima turned around in his seat and jerked a thumb in Bakugo's direction.

"You've really got his number, don't you Todoroki?" He grinned and laughed at Bakugo's quiet brooding.

"Yes, we did exchange contact info." Todoroki said simply and had Kirishima cracking up again. "I don't understand what's funny about it."

"Nothing, it's nothing…" he continued to snicker about it as he righted himself. Hoo boy were these two entertaining as hell. Between Bakugo's flustered reactions, and Todoroki's oblivious nature he was ready to split a seam. "Man I love you guys."

"Go fuck yourself, Shitty Hair." Bakugo muttered.

**~Back with the Villains~**

"Are we all here?" Tomura sat atop a pyramid of boxes in one of the many supply storages Karma and Kurogiri had sustained for the league. On the far wall the five remaining Nomu's sat in their tanks waiting to be released and used.

"By my count," Ace concurred after ticking off names and faces from a list. The room was filled with all the current league members excluding Karma, and included the newbies; Spinner, Big Sis Magne, Moonfish, Mustard, and Muscular.

"So…" Dabi shoved his hands in his pockets and walked up to Tomura's makeshift throne. "Mind telling me why we're disobeying Karma and all gathering in one place without her?"

"Yeah, the only reason I joined the league in the first place was to serve the Queen of Villains herself." Spinner stepped up, his arms spread out and looking perturbed.

"I'm assuming it's because whatever we're doing is not gonna bode well with Her majesty." Compress concluded and eyed the fresh faces.

"I don't care what it is, I'm tired of just lingering!" Muscular grunted and crashed his bunched fist into a pile of crates obliterating it and anything inside. "I need to smash some faces in."

"Oi, crazy over there." Tomura pointed a finger at Muscular. "Shut your mouth. As for you," he looked to spinner. "I am King, and you'll show me respect as well as Karma or you can forget about joining."

"Of course, sire, forgive my rudeness." Spinner bowed his head.

"That's better, now I'll tell you exactly what we're all here for." He stood up. "I've been put in charge of sending you newbies on a test mission. Prove yourselves useful and you'll be full fledged members of our league."

"And if we fail?" Mustard questioned fiddling with the buttons on his school uniform.

"You'll either be captured, excommunicated, or more likely killed." Tomura told him bluntly.

"So how come the rest of us are here?" Twice questioned shaking his head. "We've got our own projects we're supposed to be doing. I'm super free yah know!" He shouted all the while pointing an accusing finger.

"I need a group consensus… Karma has taught me it in order to be a powerful king I must be a smart one. A smart king confides in his plans with his confidants and peers and that my friends is you." He folded his hand over a knee and eyed each and every face with a surprising stern expression. "My plan is to have our newbies along with a select other few, attack U.A's Class 1A."

"Again!?" Twice scratched his head in confusion. "What for?"

"You recall what Karma said about our home base being near the Pussycat agency? Well roughly an hour ago I got a message from our contact at U.A. It turns out their training camps have changed location and they'll be completing said camp at the Wild, Wild, Pussycat Agency."

"Convenient…" Dabi agreed and saw where this particular plan was going. "What's our overall goal?"

"These two…" He held up pictures from the U.A. Sports Festival. "You are to capture these two students and bring them to me alive. They can be bruised or broken, but try not to damage them too much as I've questions and a proposition for them."

"Wait a minute…" Twice blinked with wide eyes. "You're not serious considering…"

"I'm dead serious. Karma's motivations are slipping because she can't let go of her attachment to these fools. I won't have my Queen, our most valuable asset, be brought to ruin by a couple of angsty teenagers. They will either join us…" He tossed the pictures at Dabi. "Or Die."

Dabi took a close look at both of them and his face twisted with a sneer. He slowly brought the flames out of his palm and he watched the familiar faces burn.

"Katsuki Bakugo… and Shoto Todoroki."

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm getting super excited because we're reaching my favorite parts of the series. Please look forward to more!**

**Next Chapter: Caught Between **


	10. Caught Between

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 10: Caught Between**

Kota scowled at the kids emerging from the treeline. It was bad enough he had to live with heroes, but now he had to share space with a bunch of dumb aspiring heroes. These stupid teenagers were all trying so hard to impress and show off that it sickened him.

"Hey who's the kid?" Kirishima asked pointing to Kota.

"Oh this is the son of my cousin, but he lives with us now. Say hi, Kota." Mandalay encouraged, her eyes pleading with him to make nice.

He grunted and narrowed his gaze on the group again. None of them approached, just kinda stared owlishly. That was fine, he had no intention of getting to know them. Lifting his chin he flipped them all off.

"You're all a bunch of idiots." He walked off leaving Mandalay looking horrified. "The last thing I want is to hang out with some wannabe heroes!"

"Such a demon child! What uncouth language!" Iida exclaimed waving his hands in the air in disbelief.

"Heh cute." Bakugo smirked. "Kid's got some spunk."

"He's like a mini version of you." Todoroki followed up.

"Hah? What the hell are you talking about?" Bakugo snarled in response.

"Settle down you idiots…" Aizawa scolded. "Get your bags off the bus. Once your belongings are put away we'll have dinner in the lounge, after which you can bathe and sleep. We're starting early tomorrow so be sure to get some rest."

"Yes sir."

As the class obeyed their instructor, Kota made his escape. He pulled his pack from where he'd stashed it before and snuck out the back door to head for his secret base. He and Izumi had decided on a time to meet again today, and he didn't want to be late.

He couldn't wait to tell her about these losers. He'd always wanted a friend he could really talk to. All his old friends loved heroes. They wanted to fight crime, fight bad guys, and protect the peace. How could anyone truly be at peace when there were people being crazy and hurting each other? Those kids weren't his friends anymore, because they didn't understand that truth.

Izumi understood it. She understood what a messed up place the world was and would listen to him without looking as if he were some kind of sob story case. She understood how stupid society was, worshipping heroes who foolishly risked their lives for stupid things like fame, or money. She understood why he hated everything, why he refused to be a part of it all.

Izumi just understood him.

He wondered how long she would be camping for. He hoped whoever she was with had a camper or something and they'd stay for a long time. He didn't want her to leave, forcing him to be alone again.

Because he could feel the tears stinging he quickly ran his arm over his eyes to stop them. Maybe… just maybe… he could convince her to stay. He was sure if he asked Mandalay they'd let her. That stupid cousin of his was so eager to please and console him she'd do anything to make him happy.

With that idea in mind Kota jogged up the rock and a sudden smile broke the deep frown that had been on his lips. He spotted Izumi in front of the cavern. She'd set up a little blanket and was watching the sun go down all the while munching on a sandwich. She turned her head, and smiled affectionately at him.

"Hey Kota, you made it. I was afraid you'd forgotten our date."

"D-Date?" Kota blushed.

Overjoyed by his adorable reaction Izumi laughed and stretched out a little patting the spot next to her.

"Silly, come on. I whipped up some sandwiches for us. I'm not much of a cook or I would have made something a bit more generous." She offered him one. "I hope you like Peanut Butter."

"I like it…" he set his bag down and took the sandwich folding his legs and sitting with her. He nibbled a bit then noticed the folded case in front of them. "What's that?"

"Hmmm?" Izumi peeled her eyes away from the sunset to look down. "Oh, we said we'd bring games right" She opened the case to show off the chess set inside. "This one's my favorite."

"You play chess?" He reached out with one hand and picked up a knight. He admired the figurine on a horse and scowled at it. "I heard it's really boring."

"Well you heard wrong." She insisted and took the piece and immediately set it up. "People only find it boring because they don't understand it. They don't understand how interesting its complexities are, or how impactful the significance is in it."

"I don't know how to play…" He dusted his hands off and knelt on the white side of the board.

"That's okay, I can teach you… that is…" She picked up the last piece, the white King and handed it to him. "If you want to learn."

Kota eyed the piece grimly, his scowl deep. He had wanted to play one of his games… but her eagerness was causing his guard to fall. The genuine smile and affection in her eyes broke down his wall and he set the piece down in the last empty space.

"Okay. Teach me."

**~An hour later~**

Even as the light dimmed they continued to play. Izumi had known they'd be there after dark and she brought along a lantern to illuminate the board and its pieces. She was used to playing in shadowed and candle lit areas so it didn't bother her much. She'd taken the time to really explain the game to Kota. He was a lot younger than her when she'd first learned, but his ability to pick up the basics quickly impressed her.

"I guess I can see why people like this game." He moved his tower and frowned when she moved her knight to check the king. "I just wish I didn't suck at it."

"It's your first time, Kota. Trust me when I first learned to play I was constantly losing. It just takes time and practice." She started putting the pieces up but he stopped her.

"One more game… I don't want to stop yet."

"You brought games too didn't you?" She motioned to the pack. "We can play one of those instead, there's still time."

"I want to play this game. You really like this game." He started setting up the pieces himself, frowning a little as he tried to remember what space the bishop was supposed to go.

"I do… but I just like games in general." She leaned her head on her drawn up knee watching him set the board up eagerly. "I see life as a game sometimes… all the challenges and obstacles you have to overcome. It's frustrating and sometimes painful… but it always feels so good when you win."

"What kind of idiot designed that stupid game?" Kota muttered and fisted his hand around a rook piece.

"There's no need for that pout Kota." She snagged his cap off and gently bat the top of his head with it. "Just because a game is really challenging doesn't mean you should give up on it. You don't want to be a sore loser do you?"

"I've already lost-" he started to complain and winced when she whacked him again but harder.

"So have I, so have a lot of people, but that doesn't stop them from trying." She shoved the hat back on his head sighing when it lowered and he shook. "I get it Kota, I really do. Life sucks, the world sucks, society sucks… but we're here and we have to make the most of it. If we don't like the game we're playing then we just take our losses, pick up the pieces and start a new one. Simple as that."

"It's not simple, nothing is simple anymore!" Kota grit his teeth. "I don't like this world and I don't want to play its games!"

Izumi stayed quiet for a minute, letting Kota get out his frustration. When she saw the first tear, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"Then make up your own." His head slowly raised to meet hers and she turned the board around so he played black and she white. "Come up with your own rules, your own goals, and find the people you want to play with. You don't have to play someone else's game you can just make up your own, or even change the rules of someone else's." She reached out and brushed the tears away. "That's what I'm doing. I didn't like the hand dealt to me, so I tossed out the entire deck and picked up a chess board."

"Your metaphors and puns are really cheesy." Kota complained, but the smallest hint of a smile took the edge off his words. "What kind of game do you think I should play?"

"You're a smart kid…" She told him, starting the next game by shifting a pawn forward. "So play a smart game."

They played for another hour, and during which time Kota confessed about the U.A. training camp and his opinions of the students he'd met briefly. Somewhere in the back of her mind she could sense Karma there, watching her, guiding her every move, feeding her every word. It was frightening to know that that somehow she'd retained those puppet strings Sensei had attached to her. Now instead of him holding the ends, it was Karma who took control.

When had that happened she wondered? Just when had she gone so far down the deep end that there was no saving her from drowning in her own darkness? No matter how many lifelines she was thrown the water was just too dark and deep for her to escape.

Kota had reawakened her past, and her desire to just be herself again. It'd been so long since she'd genuinely allowed herself to just be a normal teenager. No plots, no villainy, no lofty responsibilities… just her, a game, and a friend to play with.

"It's getting late…" she heard herself murmur and wished desperately to cry. At Kota's distraught face she couldn't help but smile. I know kid, she consoled him silently, I know just how you feel. "I need to go home. My friends will wonder where I am."

"Are you coming back? We can play again tomorrow." He helped her put the game away, his eyes searching for answers. "Next time I'll bring food, I can sneak it from the fridge."

"I have to be honest with you Kota." she stood up and turned towards him looking grim. "I'm not sure how much longer my friends and I can stay up here. We're trespassing like you said, and I'd rather not have your hero family find out that I've been here."

"They won't find out, I told you I'd keep it a secret." Kota panicked a little. "I don't want you to go."

She'd done it again, Izumi realized and her heart slowly started to break. She'd interfered where she shouldn't have, influenced someone's life, become their friend and gained their trust without even having to try.

...when he found out who she was, just how hurt and betrayed would he be?

How many more people did she have to drag into the darkness with her?

"Kota… I may not be able to stay but that doesn't mean we can't still be friends." She knelt in front of him and took his shoulders. "I'll come visit whenever I can. I promise. This isn't goodbye."

She saw the tears and the ache increased. Thinking quickly she removed her bracelet from her wrist and slipped it on over his.

"Here… I want you to have this."

"What is it?" He admired the bracelet as it drifted loose up and down his arm.

"It's a gps tracker, but consider it a friendship bracelet." She pointed to the little button on the side. "If you're ever in trouble, or if you really need to talk to me… just push this button here. It'll tell me exactly where you are and I'll come to you as fast as I can. Okay?"

"Really?"

"Really… but try to avoid using it around Mandalay and any other heroes okay? It needs to stay a secret." She pressed a finger to her lips. "Otherwise I may not be able to come."

"I don't really get it… but if this means you'll come back then I promise I'll keep it and take care of it." He cradled the bracelet to his chest. "You gotta keep your promise though. If I push the button you gotta come fast okay?"

"I promise. So long as you have this I'll never be far away from you." She kissed his forehead and hugged him to her. "Thank you for being my friend, Kota."

"Mmmm, you too, Izumi. Thanks for teaching me to play chess. It really was fun."

"Mmm… be sure to keep practicing and we'll play again the next time I see you."

**~Dawn~ **

Izumi collapsed onto the bed, burying her face in the pillows and snuggling in. She relaxed for only a minute before the door opened and had the tension building up. She felt the weight of another person brace over her and grumbled as his breath lingered on her ear.

"You're in the wrong room." Shigaraki murmured and nuzzled into her neck.

"You have Dabi to keep you company… and I'm sleepy." Karma grumbled under his weight.

"I already have to spend the majority of the day with him," he complained. "Give me this at least."

"You've been awfully greedy as of late." She complained back and shifted trying to wriggle free but he just moved with her.

"It's your fault." He breathed in her scent and pressed further into her. "You've been acting odd ever since you returned from the island."

"Have I?" She lay still a long moment and closed her eyes. "I feel the same."

"Dabi told me your altercation with those U.A. fools shook you up." He rolled her over his sour expression making the guilt twinge in her belly. "Tell me the truth."

Damn you, Dabi. Karma thought narrowing her eyes on Tomura's disapproving face. I told you to keep your mouth shut.

_~Flashback~_

"_So are you going to tell me what happened, or are you just going to ignore what's going on." Dabi leaned against the wall holding a flashlight as she tried to jury rig the lighting in the underground facility. Neither of them really knew what they were doing and he found it a damn miracle neither of them had gotten electrocuted yet._

"_I don't know what you're talking about." She retorted and winced as sparks singe her fingers but the lights flicker on. "Finally." _

"_You've lost your focus-" Dabi started to explain but she cut him off temperamentally._

_"I've lost nothing." She slammed the fuse door shut and brushed by him. Irritated by the interruption and brush off Dabi snagged her by the arm and pinned her up to the hallway wall. _

_"You can lie to yourself and the rest of these losers, but you can't lie to me, Karma." He stroked her cheek his piercing blue eyes both intimidating and alluring. "Unlike the King I pay attention to things other than your looks or words. I read your expression, I can tell when the wheels in your head start to turn." He tapped her temple. "Your mind has been too preoccupied to function properly."_

_"You're imagining…"_

_"Nothing." He cut her off and lay a kiss on her lips to silence the argument. "Tell me what's wrong."_

"_That's fighting dirty…" She sighed and lay a fist over his heart. "You can't tell anyone, not even Tomura." _

"_Fine." He took the fist holding it protectively. "I swear to secrecy." _

"_Okay…" She looked around to make sure no one else was listening and she lifted her eyes to his face. "Izumi Midoriya… isn't dead." _

"_That's kind of obvious…" he motioned to her and grunted when she punched his chest. "Ow… that wasn't nice." _

"_I'm being serious. I swore when we released that footage of my reveal that I'd cut all ties I had to my past. Izumi Midoriya would die just like she did in the video and Karma would take her place… but she's refusing to die. I keep… I keep feeling these waves of emotion that are hard to control and it's all her fault." _

"_You make it sound like she's a totally separate person, but she's not." When all she did was pout at him he sighed heavily. "Listen Karma… I'd like to be able to completely remove my past. If I had a choice I'd erase all memory of who my father was, and who he wanted me to be… but the truth is Touya Todoroki is always going to be who I am. I could call myself whatever name in the book but nothing will change that. The same goes for you. Izumi Midoriya is where you started, and she'll always be there because she's a part of who you are." _

"_So you're saying I have no choice but to live with this…" she lay her hand on her chest. "Whatever it is?" _

"_Yes… but just because it's there doesn't mean you have to listen to it." He tapped her temple. "Use your head, it's never steered you wrong before. Focus on the task at hand instead of whatever pesky feelings those twerps have dragged up or you'll just wind up regretting it."_

"_I guess you're right…" Her smile turned sly and she pat his cheek. "Thanks, Dabi." _

"_Don't mention it," He took her hand giving it a mock kiss and bow. "Your highness." _

_~End of Flashback~_

Karma sighed heavily and she rolled onto her back offering a smile to Tomura.

"I'm just frustrated is all. There's been more obstacles than I've predicted and it's putting a hitch in my stride." She rubbed his cheek. "It's nothing we can't overcome… I just need some time to feel like myself again."

"We could always just completely remove the obstacles." He pulled her up and onto his lap and let her settle in there.

"I wish it were that easy." She murmured and slowly closed her eyes. She felt his hand run through her hair, soothing her mind and heart. With fatigue set in, and the calm winning over her unbalanced heart she finally let sleep take her.

"It will be, My Queen…" Shigaraki smiled secretly and wrapped his arms posessively around her. "It will be."

_**~Later~**_

As the Queen slept, the King prepared his troops for war. The supplies he'd asked Giran to prepare for the new recruits finally came in and he oversaw the group trying them out, and admiring each piece with excitement, curiosity, and impatience.

"Now that we've got you crazies geared up, let's go over the plan one more time." Dabi sighed heavily, still feeling uneasy about this whole adventure. He lay his hand over the map of the area. "According to our intel, tomorrow night the UA students are going to participate in a night training activity. This will be our time to strike, when the students and staff are divided and their resources cut off."

The group went over all the points, distributing positions and avoid zones over the maps, checking equipment and individual goals, as well as going over a few possible trip ups.

"As my associate has pointed out My Queen may not approve of this particular test." Shigaraki told his group and lounged back in his seat. "So in the case she may try to interfere in our plans you've my full consent to ignore her wishes and complete the objective. I'm the one who ultimately decides if you'll stay or go."

"Sounds good to me. Finally, I get to bash some heads in!" Muscular smacked his hands together, muscles rippling and struggling to remain contained.

"Flesh… beautiful flesh…" Moonfish chanted some, swaying back and forth and making Dabi's skin crawl. He folded up the plans and leaned into Shigaraki's ear.

"For the record, I don't care for these insane jerks you've hired. Nor do I really like the idea of doing this mission without Karma's consent."

"I'll put it on the record." Tomura snagged the maps and tapped his head with it. "... but Karma left you with me, and you'll do as your told. Understood?"

Dabi glared at him a long moment, contemplating his choices. He could tell Tomura to go to hell, tell Karma his plan and let them have a whole debate about it… or he could keep quiet, do his job and get rid of the threat that's been lingering on them for months.

Both actions presented pros and cons… but the thing that worried him more that Karma's disapproval, was her lack of focus and faulty motivation. They needed to get these two boys on board, or out of the way, or Karma would wind up putting herself and the rest of the crew at risk.

So despite Tomura being one of his least favorite people… he knew what he had to do.

"Understood, your majesty."

**~ask Briry~**

**Briry: It's a frightening thing when Tomura and Dabi coincide. What sort of chaos will reign and will Karma be supportive of it in the end? Only time will tell. **

**Next Chapter: Torn Loyalties **


	11. Torn Loyalties

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 11: Torn Loyalties**

"Things are quiet…" Izumi said offhand as she eyed her game meticulously. Kurogiri and Ace stood in the kitchen, Kurogiri washing dishes and Ace drinking what seemed like his fourth cup of coffee. "Too quiet."

"Well you did put all the troublemakers to work." Ace commented with a smirk.

"That I did," she smirked back at him. "I take it you're on standby Kurogiri?"

"Yes, I've already dropped the potential recruits off at their destination." He set the glasses in the cupboard and turned to her. "Tomura, Dabi, and Toga are overseeing the mission and will signal me when they need pick-up."

"Tomura is? That's rare…" She raised a brow.

"He says this particular mission is important to him. He wants to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

"Makes sense, I'm really proud of him." She leaned on her hands smiling affectionately. "He seems to be coming into his power and really giving his actions thought and caution."

Ace and Kurogiri exchange knowing glances, before separating. Kurogiri sat across from Karma to play against her in chess, and Ace sat down on the couch and opened up the newspaper to browse through the latest news.

"Your I-Island heist is still top billing despite it being over a week since the event. You really have made a name for yourself, Queen of Villains."

"I have you and Broadcast to thank for that." She moved her bishop into position, her lips quirking a little when Kurogiri took the bait and left her Queen's path open for attack. "Your assistance with the videos has helped put the league in the spotlight and highlight exactly what I wanted."

"It's been my pleasure, and I'm receiving all kinds of praise for my deduction work." He bragged and tapped the paper with his own article highlighted.

"Was there any fallback on your supposed kidnapping?"

"They've put me in therapy with other PTSD victims, which I've humored as it helps play up my innocence in this role. The police have been patrolling my house and my work, but thanks to Kurogiri I'm able to slip in and out without much suspicion."

"Good, because more than likely I'll need yours and Broadcast's help again soon. The I-Island story will only stay highlighted for so long. I've gotten everyone's attention, and now I need to make a clear and concise statement, We need to show them we mean business and what our overall motives are."

"How do you propose to do that?" Kurogiri questioned.

"I've been asking myself that every day for the past week. What's the next step? Just how big of a risk should we take?" She held up her Queen, hesitating a moment as she contemplated on what to say. "I think it might be time to take All Might out of the picture."

Ace choked on his coffee and beat on his blinked in surprise by her words.

"Are you serious?" Ace wheezed when he finally gained enough breath to speak.

"Yes…" she stroked the smooth marble of her piece and set down the Queen in check position. "I don't necessarily mean we have to kill him, though I'm sure Tomura would feel differently on that matter. What I'm suggesting is taking down his position. His weakness has already been revealed, now we just have to fully exploit his limitations. The man can only do so much, and unless other heroes step up and make a better example of themselves hero society will start to crumble. The people will have doubt, questions, and be more open minded to alternative realities."

"Makes sense… fear makes people weigh their alternatives. They try to find the best way to survive, and if we offer up a solution to the decreasing morale of the heroes then more and more people will rally with us. If that happens then the government will be forced to take action and make changes to appease those masses."

"Exactly… but we need to be careful. One false move could very well put us in a bad light and ruin our image. We can't do anything to discredit what we've accomplished so far."

Kurogiri and Ace exchange glances again and both nod.

"Yeah about that-" Ace started, but Kurogiri's phone goes off. Karma's head lifted up in curiosity.

"Is that Tomura?"

"No…" Kurogiri's face look puzzed. "This signal is coming from you. Why is your bracelet being activated at a different location."

"Crap." She slapped her forehead. "I forgot to tell you." She stood up, gathering the chess set pieces and putting them away. "I've been, i guess you could say mentoring a potential ally. His name is Kota and he's a relative of Mandalay who is one of the Pussycats. I gave him the device so he could contact me."

Kurogiri narrowed his eyes at the signal and the coordinates. It was on the outskirts of the area, but still well within visual of where the mission was taking place.

"Isn't that dangerous? Does he know who you are?"

"No, and I'm not planning on telling him." She loosened her tie, preparing to change into some hiking gear. "He's just a lonely kid who needs a friend, and he shares my ideals on hero society and I've been enjoying his company. I'll just pop by to humor him a little and-"

"You shouldn't go." Kurogiri fisted his phone.

"What?" She narrowed her gaze on Kurogiri who turned his back to her. "Why the hell not? I'm telling you the kid knows nothing and I've been super careful."

"It's not that, your highness…" Ace stood up. "If you go then you'll wind up right in the middle of the mission."

"What?" Her fists clenched. "What the hell are you talking about? What sort of mission did Tomura send these guys on?" At their silence her temper rose. She knocked the chess board across the room. "TELL ME!"

"They were sent on a covert mission to disrupt the Hero Class training camp at the Pussycat Agency." Kurogiri spoke, glaring at Ace who had removed his glasses and looked him straight into his eyes. "The new recruits were given a list of priority subjects to remove, and others to kill."

"Are you fucking serious? Why the hell wasn't I told about this?!" She grit her teeth and immediately made a grab for her gear, strapping knives to her thigh and hooking her whip on the belt around her waist. "Are you guys stupid!? Do you realize what kind of bad publicity this will send our way? This will completely disrupt my plans for the league!"

"Tomura didn't know of your plans, none of us did." Kurogiri tried to calm her as she suited up for combat. "Karma please calm yourself. This is for the best."

"Like hell it is!" She tugged her gloves on and made a fist. "Open the warp Kurogiri. Send me to Kota's coordinates, and while your at it give me any information you have on the new recruits."

"Here…" Ace pulled out a digital pad handing it to her. "These are the files Giran put together for us. It lists all of the candidates by their codenames and gives a brief overlay on their quirks and experience in the field."

"Thank you, Ace." She snagged it up opening it and quickly browsing through. A few faces rang her alarm bells and she cursed. "The outcasts and teenager is one thing, but two of these jerks are well known murderers, one of them is even a death row escapee! Is Tomura insane recruiting their help?"

"He felt their quirks would be useful."

"Useful and dangerous… warp me to Kota now Kurogiri, I won't ask you again!" She shook with incredible temper.

"I'll warp you there… but I must warn you Karma… Tomura knew that you would try to stop him if you found out what was going on. So he gave the order that the recruits are free to ignore your direct orders that conflict with the mission."

"Is that right?" She slipped her face mask on. "Well I guess I better remind him just who the brains of this operation is!"

**~In the Woods~**

Kota clutched the bracelet between his fingers as he stare out horrified at the flames that erupted across the horizon. He could hear Mandalay scream in his head for him to come home, but he ignored it.

Izumi wasn't caught up in this was she? Is that why this stupid bracelet wasn't working? Or maybe she'd left with her friends already and was safe… but what if she wasn't? He pushed the button again, his hands shaking now. Come on, he mentally screamed, damn it answer me!

"Well now…" a sinister voice called out from behind him and Kota whirled around towards it. The bracelet dropped to the ground as a tall menacing figure approached him, donning a mask and cape to hide his identity. "I came up here to find a good scouting vantage point… and here I find someone who's not on our list."

Kota backed up further, careful to not walk off the edge of the cliff but not taking his eyes off the villain in front of him.

"Nice hat kid…" he jerked a thumb up to his face. "Why don't you trade me for this lame mask I'm wearing? Honestly, giving me a loner until the new shipments come in. How lame is that?" He tossed the mask off, and braced his legs as Kota turned to run from him. He leapt up and over him, cutting off his escape. "Let's have some fun kid!"

The hood fell off Muscular's head, revealing his face which Kota immediately recognized. This man was the same man who had killed his parents.

"Mom… Dad…" tears fell down his face and he lifted his arms up in a weak attempt to protect himself. A warp appeared behind him, Karma leaping through and snagging him with her quirk to pull him back and away just as Muscular crashed his fist down in the ground where Kota had been standing.

"Kota!" She hugged him as he came straight to her, his hat flying off as she hugged him protectively. "Are you okay?"

"Izumi?" Tears still slipping down he looked up at her. "Is that you? Why are you dressed like that?"

"I don't really have time to explain… get behind me." She motioned him back, cursing as the warp closed. Kurogiri had meant it when he'd said she'd be on her own once she stepped through.

"Well look who finally decided to make an appearance!" Muscular tossed off the cape. "If it isn't Queen Karma herself."

"Karma?" Kota vaguely remembered Izumi mentioning that was her nickname. This guy knew her? Did that mean… "Izumi you're a villain?"

"A villain?" Muscular laughed. "Kid do you not know who this is? This is Izumi Midoriya, more popularly known as Karma, Queen of the Villains and the brains behind the League of Villains."

Kota stare in disbelief at this. He watched Izumi's head lower a bit, but her eyes staring glued to Muscular.

"I see my reputation precedes me." She gave a sour smile. "Since you already know who I am, then do us both a favor and return to the checkpoint. Once you and your associates are all back we're returning to headquarters."

"Sorry, Queeny, but no can do." He jerked a thumb at himself. "The King told us we were free to ignore any of your orders if you tried to stop us. He's the one pulling the strings… and besides I've been dying for some action for weeks. They've kept me on a tight leash and I'm ready to break free."

"Damn you, Tomura…" She grit her teeth and shifted Kota further back. "Fine, if you won't listen to me then complete your stupid mission, and leave Kota out of this."

"Don't get your panties in a twist.I just wanted to interrogate the kid, is all. Part of the mission given to us by the King is we're supposed to be tracking down a couple of kids named Todoroki and Bakugo."

"What?" Izumi's eyes flared with temper. Kacchan and Shoto? Little by little the pieces were falling into place… there was only one reason why Tomura would want Todoroki and Bakugo and that was to kill them. "Where is he? Where's Tomura!?"

"Beats the hell outta me. He and Dabi are probably at the checkpoint we set up in the woods." He pointed out towards the flames. "They gave us coordinates, but damn if I know where that is. I'm just gonna let loose and have some fun. So long as I get to punch someone's face in I don't care." Muscular turned his attention back to Kota, cracking his knuckles.

"Izumi…" Kota gripped her shirt. "You're not really friends with this guy are you?"

"No, Kota." She answered him right away. "I don't consider this asshole my friend." She stood firmly between Muscular and Kota. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm having fun on the job. I love killing people, it's the only thing in the world that gives me such an adrenaline rush. Shigaraki said that the targets are off limits, but anyone else that gets in my way is fair game. So I'm going to enjoy every minute of pounding that kid."

God this man made her sick. Just what the hell had Tomura been thinking about enrolling his help? There was no way she was gonna be able to keep this asshole on a leash. He would kill whoever he wanted to kill, no matter what age, or gender they were.

"The whole reason why people hate villains is because of creeps like this." She murmured to Kota. "Selfish, dangerous assholes who use their quirks to hurt people. It puts us that are actually trying to change the world for the better to shame."

"Izumi?" Kota saw her shake, not from fear, but from anger. "What are you doing?

"Anyone else is fair game huh?" She called out to Muscular and stealthily unstrapped her throwing knife from her thigh. "Guess that includes me then, huh?"

"What?" Though the smile didn't fade, there was a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He caught a flash of movement and put up his arms over his face as Izumi's knife flew through the ai andr embedded into his forearm. The blade sank deep into the muscle tissue and dripped blood on the ground. Had he not put up his guard that pinpoint throw would have shot right between his eyes. "Ho ho ho ho now I see… queeny wants to play. I'm game!"

"Look out!" Izumi snagged Kota up in her arms dashing out of the way just in time before muscular pummel the ground at their feet. Kota "Go get outta here! Warn the others about what's happened."

"What about you?" Kota wailed a bit looking between the two. "That man's a killer. He killed my mom and dad and they were heroes. What makes you think you-" he trailed off when she set his hat back on his head. He stared up in hat had flown off his head when she'd pulled him away from the villain. When did she have time to grab it again?

"It's okay, Kota. I prefer to fight when I have something to protect." She smiled warmly at him, and wrapped her quirk around him. "I promise I won't let him get past me." She watched the boy flail a little as she lifted him off his feet but she kept the grip firm. As Muscular re-coordinated and turned towards them again she flung Kota down the path and out of harm's way. "Now go!"

"Hey that's my prey!" Muscular shouted and rushed her. She quickly dodged, and snapped her whip from her belt. She cracked it once, looping it around the arm that imprinted into the ground and she gave it a firm tug, the thorn like spikes dug in and though it failed to remove the limb she could see the blood dripping down. .

"Damn, you're not gonna be as easy to dismember as a normal person." She braced her feet and yanked hard while pushing her energy pulse through More blood squirted out but still the arm wouldn't budge.

"That really hurts yah know…" Muscular smiled sinisterly and shifted in her direction. Her eyes went wide a moment and she immediately let go of the whip before he could use it to pull her towards him. She surrounded herself in her quirk dodging and moving across the cliff to avoid being hit, but he was too fast. His kick caught her side and though her barrier cushioned it, the pain of impact rippled through her. She skidded nearly off the edge and leapt up high above him landing on his back and snagging him around the throat with her arm.

She couldn't find the right time to attack. If she let down her guard one of his hits could easily break her. She had to keep up the defense and fine another way of taking him out. Her fingers jabbed into the sensitive areas on his face, tugging on his eyes and nose as he thrashed about trying to buck her like a wild bronco.

She coughed when he suddenly threw himself back against the mountain, the wind knocked from her lungs and she slumped down and cursed as he took a firm grip on the front of her costume.

"You got a nice protective quirk there missy…" he yanked, but the shirt didn't tear. "It won't even give me the satisfaction of watching you get all mussed up… but even if you're supposed to be this high and mighty queen of villains, you're still just a dumb kid to me." He lifted her up and tossed her back down. She coughed at the impact, thankful that there was no pain, but her breath was shifting and it made it hard to focus on maintaining the balance of her quirk.

"All I wanna do is have a little fun." He slammed her again, pulling her over his head and face down into the ground. Izumi felt the first layer of her shield break away, cuts and scrapes forming on her skin. At the sight of blood Muscular grew excited. "That's more like it. How much more can you take I wonder!"

Izumi spotted her whip and she made a reach for it, wishing she could lower her quirk just enough to float it to her. Hell she wished she had time to form some kind of weapon with it, at least then she wouldn't just be a turtle hiding in its shell. She had to make a move, she had to find an opening or he would break her quickly.

She felt her back hit the ground again and she coughed, and wheezed. Her barrier wavered and he pushed her down into the rock, watching her with a sick look of glee on his face.

"Not so high and mighty now are you, your highness?" He wrapped his hands around her throat squeezing down. The barrier kept her from choking, for now, but he kept increasing the pressure, forcing her to push out more energy. She felt her body sink further into the rock like a crater and she clenched her teeth refusing to give up. As she struggled to breathe, and things started to go black, she could hear herself talking… conversing with the polarizing personas she'd created.

_I can't lose here… I can't let him beat me… _

_Who the hell are you fooling, Izumi? Your primary weapon is your brain and he's not giving you time to think. You can't attack, you can't even move! _

_That's not true! That's not true! I'm stronger than that! There's more to me than just my mind! I can win! I have to win! I can't let Kacchan and Shoto get kidnapped, or the others get hurt!_

_Why not!? They've been nothing but a distraction! They're hopeless fools who can't see the truth of who you are and what you've become!_

_What have I become? The world sees me as a villain and I accepted that, but I don't want to be a villain like this guy. I don't want to be somebody who takes delight in hurting other people! That's not the kind of villain I am!_

_What do you want to be, Izumi? If you want us to fight and survive then tell me what you want! _

_I want… I want to be a heroic villain. If I have to do terrible things like lie, cheat, steal, and kill… then let it be for good reasons. I want to lie to protect the identity of the people I've taken on. I want to break the rules so that I can change society and make the world better. I want to steal in order to provide a good environment, and stable living for those that work for me. I want to kill people who stain the world with their cruelty and self serving antics. _

_You want to help others, but you can't even help yourself. The heroes won't save you, the villains won't save you… who's going to watch your back now that they've all got minds of their own? _

"LET HER GO!" Kota's sudden scream snapped Izumi out of her inner dialogue. She felt blood drip on her face and looked up to see he had crawled on top of Muscular and now held a knife in Muscular's one good eye.

"K-Kota?" Izumi gasped for air as she looked up at the furious face kid.

"Rauuugh! Stupid kid! Wait your damn turn!" He snagged Kota by the shirt front, bleeding from his face and tossing him aside and into the rock.

"KOTA!" Izumi screamed and with the fresh rage burning through her, her quirk radiated with new life. Using his temporary loss of focus to finally knock him off guard, she went on the offensive, her tendrils snaking out pushing him off her and stabbing through the massive muscles.

"Mnnng this power… " Muscular struggled, trying to push against her quirk but she wasn't budging. Finally getting him pinned Karma picked herself up wiping the blood from her lip as more dripped from her temple. He felt the first trickle of fear drip down his spine as the young queen walked to him and picked up the bloodied knife Kota had dropped after being tossed. "You were beaten! How did you get stronger?!"

"Easy…" She told him, her voice raw from both being strangled and heightened emotion. Her tendrils snaked around threatening to swallow his massive form, save for his head. "You pissed me off."

She finished him off, stabbing him right under the chin and cleaving down his jugular. Blood oozed out and he spat more his artificial eye popping out, and the other oozing gorily from Kota's attack

"Checkmate…" she coughed and turned her back to him so she could kneel down and pull Kota into her arms. Fearful he was dead she checked for a pulse, and let out a small sigh of relief to see he was breathing and his heart beating strong.

"Just unconscious… thank god." She held him to her. "I'm sorry Kota, I'm so sorry for getting you involved in this." She kissed his bruised temple. "Don't you worry though, I'll make it all right again. I'll set these loser straight."

She turned her head to stare out towards the burning woods. Muscular had given her a general idea where their meeting place was, but it was going to be difficult to round them all up on her own. Tomura really did seem to enjoy putting her in sticky situations..

"Love…" She sighed heavily and pulled her face mask back up over her mouth. "...can be such a complicated distraction." She picked Kota up and leapt off the cliff to float them down onto the path below. If she'd measured the distance right, it wouldn't take her long to reach the agency. Once Kota was safe at home, she could fully commit to giving these new recruits and the rest of her idiot crew a piece of her mind.

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: Exciting! So I have a guideline on how I wanted to approach this particular arc but there's so many ways I could twist it and the upcoming sequel. As my faithful readers I would like your opinions on how you want the story to progress from here. Do you want Izumi to stay a "heroic" villain, or do you want her to dive slowly into madness? Do you want her to reconcile with Tomura, or maybe you prefer her paired up with Dabi or with Todoroki and Bakugo? I aim to please and have open ears for suggestions and requests. **

**Next Chapter: The Queen's Wrath**


	12. The Queen's Wrath

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 12: The Queen's Wrath**

When Aizawa had heard that the camp was under attack, he left the study group to his associate and ran out the front door. The first thing he saw was the wave of blue flames shooting up and cutting them off from any escape routes into the forest. All the man roads to the highway, the detailed trails leading up the mountain, all of it cast a circle around them making them unable to leave.

"This is bad."

"Seems your concern for your students has left you vulnerable, Eraser Head." Dabi warned shooting off a full palm flame directly at Aizawa. Despite being caught off guard, Dabi could feel instantly that his opponent hadn't been charred in the flame, which meant he'd managed to dodge the close encounter. "You truly are a pro."

He looked upwards at Aizawa and smirked. This guy was good, there was no doubt there. Knowing he couldn't let up, Dabi aimed another blast at him, but his quirk wouldn't work. Damn, that's right, Eraser Head's quirk could cancel out his. This was gonna be a quick loss.

Almost immediately he felt the bindings wrap tight around him, as Aizawa slammed his knee into Dabi's face knocking him back and down on the ground. Tied up and unable to move, Dabi lay on the ground, wondering how long it would take for him to break.

"Why are you here, and where are your friends?" Aizawa interrogated.

"Hah? My What?" He turned his head, clearly amused by his choice of words. He'd hardly call the members of the crew his friends. There was a clear snap of his arm breaking and Dabi grunted in pain.

"Your right arm is next… be logical about this. At the very least save your legs."Aizawa suggested coldly.

"He won't tell you anything." The sound of a new voice made Aizawa tense up and he looked up his eyes wide. Karma came out of the woods, holding an unconscious Kota protectively in her arms.

"Midoriya… I should have known." Aizawa grunted and his attention shifted again as the sound of feet came rushing towards them. Iida, Mineta, Kirishima, Ojiro, Sato and Koda all came rushing forward panting from the run.

"Mr. Aizawa!" Iida called out, seeing the villain on the ground.

"Everyone get inside quick!" He ordered and kept his grip firm on Dabi.

"Better do as he says." Karma suggested and offered a sour look to her former classmates. "Things are about to get ugly."

"Midoriya!?" Kirishima turned his head seeing her. "You're a part of this too?"

"Do I look like I'm eager to take on a bunch of heroes?" She held Kota out and floated him over to the group. Koda held his arms out taking the boy looking frightened and puzzled all at once. It was an emotional conflict that everyone in his group could relate to. "I'm here to collect my idiotic subordinates, and keep them from doing something stupid."

"I'm not buying your story." Aizawa held Dabi's arms back and pressed a foot into his back. His eyes turned red and his hair floated as he erased Karma's quirk to keep her at bay. "Tell me the truth, why the hell are you here?"

Cautious as always, she mused. Despite the tense situation, Karma couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

"Or you'll what? Kill him? Go right ahead, because like I said-" She snagged her dagger and sent it zipping straight into Dabi's head. "He won't tell you anything."

Aizawa let out a shocked gasped, he was positive he had erased her quirk. Did she kill her own guy by accident? No, there was true intent in that throw. She just took out her own guy, twenty feet away in the dark, with pinpoint accuracy.

"She's insane!" Mineta cowered back looking pale and shaken. "She just killed her own ally!"

"No..." Aizawa felt his hold on Dabi's body loosen. The form disintegrated into dirt, and left a mess at his feet. "It's a fake."

"Pretty convincing doubles, wouldn't you agree?" Karma placed a hand on her hip. "Twice's work, no doubt. Damn fool should be doing inventory, not playing puppet master for Tomura."

"Alright you got my attention," Aizawa stood up and held up his scarf. "Start talking, what the hell is going on?"

"I really wish I had time to answer your full Q&A, but I'm on a timeclock here so I'll give you the cliffnotes version." She kept her eyes on Aizawa, confident if her classmates made a move she could outmaneuver them easily. "I gave Tomura the task of testing our new band of recruits, but he's stupidly gotten carried away with his plans."

"You're testing your recruits?" Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "I would think a crew like yours couldn't afford to be picky."

"You underestimate my popularity. I've attracted all kinds of attention and have been weeding through the useless dribble and scum that don't fit my ideals."

"Your ideals include attacking a little boy and your former classmates?" He scolded.

"No they don't." She snarled at that. "I would have been happy avoiding you lot altogether, and frankly I'm a little pissed Tomura dragged you and Kota into my business once again."

"Kota?" Aizawa questioned and took stock of her condition. Despite the calm and calculating attitude she appeared tense and fresh from a fight. "How do you know his name?"

"Sorry, Eraser, like I said I don't have time to talk. I gotta find Shoto and Kacchan before they get kidnapped." She waved and made a dash back into the forest.

"What?" Kirishima's expression changed at the mention of Bakugo. He started to go after her. "Hey wait!"

"Kirishima!" Aizawa snapped the order back as he rushed past them and after Karma. "Get inside and tell Vlad what's happened. I'll go after Midoriya."

"But she said Bakugo's in trouble!" Kirishima looked conflicted. "He's my friend, I can't just abandon him."

"For whatever reason Midoriya is temporarily on our side trying to pull these guys out. Nevertheless I don't trust her, and I won't have anymore of my students be put in danger. Get inside and leave this to me and the other pros. Understand?"

"Yes sir…" Kirishima hung his head, and clenched his fists at his side.

**~With the Villains~**

"KARMA ALERT!" Twice shouted suddenly as he danced around. "She totally pwned Dabi, you weakling!"

"Already? That was fast." Dabi grunted and looked to Shigaraki. "I wonder how she caught on."

"Doesn't matter," Tomura told him and scratched his neck a little. "We're keeping to the plan, and focusing on our targets. The rest of the crew remembers what I said if she should interfere."

"Whatever… Twice make another copy of me. We need to keep those pros occupied and off our companions back. It would also be a pain if Karma were to get caught because of this."

"Another small fry coming right up!" Twice flipped him off with on hand then gave a thumbs up with the other. "Leave it to me!"

As Dabi watched himself emerge as a clone, he started to wonder if what he was doing was right after all.

He hated Tomura; hated his morals, his cockiness, and the superficial power he had over the league. Most of all he was jealous of him because he had the attention and affection of the one girl he'd been stupid enough to fall for.

Karma was just a kid really… she'd just turned sixteen and should still be in school, hanging out with friends, going on G-rated dates to the movies, or the planetarium. Instead she'd been tossed into the world of villains at the tender age of 14, and for the past year and a half had been slowly warped into a competent yet conflicted, and fierce young woman.

Her body was strong, toned, and full figured. Her voice could be both sweet and tender, but also could turn rich and seductive with the slightest switch in emotion. Her face held youth, but her eyes held wisdom and calculation. She was smarter than most adults he knew, and always thought ahead. She was emotionally tough too. She grieved from the loss of her mother, survived horrific training that turned her into a powerful weapon for the league, and was being both used and abused by Shigaraki who took her affections and proclamations of love for granted.

She'd had everything ripped away from her; her family, her friends, her dreams. Could he really blame her, doubt her, for having a moment of weakness when faced against her past? Especially since he'd yet to look beyond his own?

"What's that ugly look for?" Tomura narrowed his eyes on him, having noticed the confliction on the normally stoic Dabi's face.

"Nothing, get off my back King." He turned away, gritting his teeth. He'd already stepped in it, had already agreed to help. Nothing left to do, but to follow through and accept the consequences of that. At the very least, he thought as his calm returned, he wouldn't be going down alone.

**~With Karma~**

She'd found the clearing where two of the newbies were taking on two of the Wild Wild Pussycats. She positioned herself in the trees and out of direct sight so she could pull out the tablet with the names and quirks of both.

**Codename: Big Sis Magne, Quirk: Magnetism, allows her to magnetize people around her within a 4.5-meter radius. Can magnetize a person's entire body or specific portions. Men are polarized south, and women are polarized north. Quirk cannot be used on herself. **

**Codename: Spinner, Quirk: Gecko, gives him the appearance and abilities of a lizard.**

"So one quirk is thoroughly complicated, while the other is straight forward." She murmured as she studied their background a little then turned her eyes to the fight. "Good candidates either way, definitely a step up from Muscular. I think I'll leave them to their own devices here. I need to move on."

She slipped the tablet away and gasped barely dodging Aizawa's scarf which latched onto the branch above her. The shift in brush made her lose balance and she scrambled to right herself during the fall.

"You say you're on a time limit and yet you stop to analyze the fight… even as a villain you're still Midoriya underneath it all." Aizawa pointed out, his eyes clearly removing her quirk. He lifted up his scar snapping it free of the limb and readied to take her down.

Shit, Karma thought as she pulled herself up from the ground and dusted herself off. She really didn't have the time or energy to waste fighting off a pro, let alone her former teacher.

"You know I'm really not in the greatest of moods Eraserhead." She pulled up her remaining knife and stepped into a defensive stance. "I'd really hate to kill a man I respect just because he got in my way."

"Don't worry, you won't." He ran at her. She only had seconds to think of a strategy, and in those seconds she recalled a recent training exercise she'd completed with Toga.

While Karma was considered the leader of the group she didn't didn't mind taking lessons from those that had more experience in the villain world. Dabi was an expert at collecting information from the underground. Kurogiri was a top notch negotiator, and knew how to work a crowd of disgruntled villains that had varying opinions. Then there was Toga, whom surprisingly had learned a varying degree of techniques by taking on the shape of various people. Martial artists, assassins, and other fighter types. There was one technique in particular she'd admired, and begged Toga to teach her, and right now it was her only method of defense that didn't rely on her quirk.

Finding her calm, she closed her eyes, held her breath… and like a shadow she blended into the darkness. Aizawa threw out his scarf, eyes darting around when it fell limp ahead of him.

"How did she- AUUGH!" Aizawa felt the stab in his leg before he could regain his composure. Karma released her breath on a laugh and ripped the blade out. Aizawa stumbled and held his bleeding thigh turning around to face her, but she'd vanished from sight again.

"I see… you've picked up a few tricks since the U.A. Sports Festival. Must be techniques from your little family of delinquents." He taunted trying to goad her into revealing herself. He grunted when the next cut slashed against his arm and quite testily. Just as he thought, she was using an old ninja technique that made a person invisible by hiding their presence. Aizawa calmed his breathing… now that he knew what she was doing, he just had to calm down and find her. When she attacked again he slid away and brought his free hand up to grab her, his fingers catching the end of her tie.

Thinking quickly Karma cut the tie free and jumped backwards out of the brush and right into the clearing. All eyes shifted to her, and Spinner paused his fight to gasp in awe.

"My Queen! You're here!"

"Idiot! Don't get distracted!" Magne warned him as she dodged Tiger's next blow and struggled to keep blocking and moving. On cue Mandalay landed a solid punch to Spinner's gut knocking him back.

"About time I got a solid hit in!" Mandalay grit her teeth glaring down at her opponent who stumbled onto his rump.

"Idiot," Karma whispered and shifted her step to narrowly avoid Aizawa's next attack. It was becoming more and more clear to her that she was fighting a losing battle. The man had way more experience in hand to hand combat training than she did. The difference in physical strength, and ability was way too spread. She needed a plan, and fast. She formulated a game board in her mind, analyzed the pieces she had left, and immediately formulated a strategy.

"Magne!" She called out, hoping the newbie would listen and understand. "Polarize!"

"What?" Magne slid down to narrowly avoid a punch. Karma's dagger flew straight at Tiger and caught him in the paw making him pull back. It was only a few seconds, but that bought Magne enough time to land a solid hit and knock Tiger down, her foot crushing against his throat to cut off his air supply.

"Tiger!" Mandalay rushed towards Tiger, but Magne used her quirk on Mandalay and Aizawa, the woman was lifted off her feet and she flew directly at Aizawa, the two of their heads colliding together and bodies tumbling to the ground.

"Nice one!" Spinner sat up but then immediately got on his knees as Karma walked over holding out her hand to help him up. "My Queen! I'm so humbled by your presence! My name is Spinner and I am at your service."

"Get up, you fool." Karma snapped the order and used her outstretched hand to yank him by the scruff of his neck. "You've kissed enough dirt for tonight. She turned her attention to Magne who kept the magnetic power on the two heroes to keep them pinned down. "Did Tomura give you guys comlinks?"

"Yes, My Queen!" He pulled his out and handed it to her. "Both he and Dabi are at the meet up point. Do you wish to speak with him?"

"As a matter of fact, I do…" She snatched the comlink from his hand and she lifted it up to her lips. "Tomura, Dabi, I know you're having fun with your little game..." she spoke sweetly at first, but then quickly changed into a threat. "... but unless you call off this ridiculous little venture right now, I"m going to kill every single person that dares to defy me, just the way I killed that beast of a human Muscular!"

A cold chill pass through the air. All who heard Karma's threat felt it in their bones. When all Kiki got was static on the other end she grunted and pulled it into view. The speaker was damaged probably from Spinner's fight.

"Tch, Broken… figures. Guess I'll just find them myself." Both Magne and Spinner stare in shock and awe at this. Spinner remained in a bowed position, the euphoria of seeing Karma in person too much for him to contain. Magne on the other hand, felt the spine chill of fear.

"What did she just say? Did she actually…" Magne paled considerably as she remembered the rumbling on the ground earlier. "She's just a kid, and yet she's even more powerful than him?" She tensed up, letting out a meek sound as Karma's cold eyes turned to her.

"Magne, Spinner, you both have potential. Do yourselves a favor and return to base while I hunt down the rest of your motley crew. If you find any of them on your way there… pass on my warning."

"Yes, your majesty!" Spinner bowed his head to the ground. "As you command."

"Hey wait a minute," Magne interrupted as Karma started to walk off. "We still haven't found those kids. Is this some kind of-" she felt her voice cut off as Karma's aura pulsed dangerously around her.

"Tomura told you to ignore my orders and prioritize the mission…" She held up a hand, her dagger and whip floating back into hand and she turned the bloodied blade in Magne's direction. "...but I'm giving you fair warning. Anyone who disobeys my command is getting set at the very top of my kill list." Her smile came quick and demented. "Is that clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am…" Magne said defeatedly and looked to Spinner. "Let's go!"

"Yes!" Spinner shot up and saluted. "A pleasure working with you, My Queen. We take our leave!" He jogged after Magne and disappeared into the shadows. Karma let out a sigh and glanced back at Aizawa who was picking himself up.

"You may want to get Tiger to a hospital… it sounded like Magne did some permanent damage to his vocal chords." She said coldly and ran down the path.

"Damn it…" Aizawa grit his teeth as he pulled himself and Mandalay up. "I really underestimated her." he really did only see his student. How lame and rookie level

"I'd heard the reports from other heroes but I never imagined a kid her age could be so powerful." Mandalay held her head and looked down at her two fallen comrades. "I thought Shigaraki Tomura was their leader, but why did it seem that she held the reigns."

"It's because she does, though it sounds to me that Tomura was in charge of this particular operation and made the arrangements without consulting her. It's why she's so pissed." He looked down trying to figure out what to do. "I should go after her… but if Karma really is trying to call off this attack, then antagonizing her will only result in more wounded and possibly casualties."

"If you think that's best, I can call for medical assistance and back up from the agency, but I need to find Kota first."

"He's safe…Karma brought him back to the agency which is where I ran into her." Aizawa lowered his head as he recalled Karma holding the boy protectively. "He's got a bad bump on the head, but he'll be fine."

"She saved him?" Mandalay looked both relieved and confused by this.

"I'm not entirely sure what happened… you may want to get the details from Kota when he wakes up. Right now I need you to get a message out to the students."

"Okay, what do you want me to tell them?" She rubbed her temple, hoping the hit to the head wouldn't affect her quirk range.

"Tell them they're free to use their quirks, and to make their way back to camp by any means necessary. I'll take full responsibility for it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes… The students need to be able to defend themselves against the threat. Even if Karma is on our side… I highly doubt all of them will be as cooperative with her as these two." Aizawa looked up at the flames that were starting to disperse. "This camp was made to train them up for situations exactly like this… I only hope what little they've received will pay off."

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: I struggled a bit with this chapter I won't lie. I wanted Karma to have some bad ass moments without making her seem completely OP, I hope I succeeded in doing so. **

**Next Chapter: The Unexpected Ally **


	13. The unexpected ally

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 13: The Unexpected Ally**

She didn't have a plan… and she ALWAYS had a plan.

Karma didn't care to just rush into things and follow her emotions, but the situation didn't give her much time to think. Even as she ran through the dark, her only thought process was to 'Find Kacchan, Find Shoto, and take down whoever got in her way.'

It was reckless, haphazard, but it was the only plan she could think of in her current state of emotional turmoil. She was afraid, she was panicking… and she was completely pissed off.

"Damn you, Tomura. The minute I find you I'm gonna-" The quick movement caught her eyes, but she couldn't react in time. The large claw like shadow swiped at her, and she let out a cry as it sent her hurtling through a tree and into the arms of Shoji who'd seen the hit and raced to catch her.

"Gotcha! Are you okay… Midoriya!?" Shoji asked, concerned at first until he saw who had been attacked. His grip on her suddenly tightened.

"Mnng what the hell was that?" Bleeding and dazed from the hit, Izumi held her severely wounded arm and glanced up at the massive shadow looming in the woods. "Don't tell me that's-"

"Yeah, that's Tokoyami." He hushed his voice and cradled her in his arms while sticking behind a tree. "You can thank your disturbing friend with the flesh fetish for that."

"Moonfish…" She groaned, recalling the brief look she'd had in the files. "He's not my friend, he's not even technically part of the league." She grunted and curled up tighter to him as Dark Shadow attacked just above their heads, wood splintering everywhere. In the distance she could hear Tokoyami in absolute pain trying to control the beast. "This is bad, if we don't calm Dark Shadow down then Tokoyami could be swallowed up by him."

"I know… and the only way to do that is with light. I need to lure Dark Shadow towards a fire source and the closest one is camp." He put emphasis on the singularity of his mission. Izumi felt the sting of it instantly, and the faults in that plan.

"No…" She whispered it hoarsely. "Your camp is too far away, you'd never be able to outrun him for that length of time."

"I know that, but in order to help people you have to take risks." He rationalized shifting just a little to avoid Dark Shadow's view.

"What about Fire?" Suddenly wishing she was wearing her Phoenix gear, Karma patted his shoulder. "Shoto can produce fire. Do you know where he is? He'd be able to-"

"He and Bakugo were behind us, not sure how far away, but with the villains attacking I have no idea what direction they'd go. And at any rate I don't feel comfortable taking you to them, especially since Eraser and Mandalay announced to us that those two are the one's you're after."

"I'm not… I'm not a part of this. I know it's hard to believe Shoji but-" she shoved him down landing on top of him as Dark Shadow attacked again and scraped up her back in the process. She winced and straddled Shoji looking down at him pained and furious. "This isn't my plan, these guys are completely acting on their own and I'm trying to stop them. The only reason Aizawa knows is because I told him. Please! I need to find them!"

Shoji stare up at Izumi, scraped up, bleeding, the confliction and panic on her face causing all kinds of emotions to build up inside him. Unlike Shoto and Bakugo, Izumi never really seemed to pay him much mind. The only time she'd given him any kind of notice was during the Sports festival. In fact it had been him and Tokoyami who'd partnered with her to grasp victory away from Todoroki who was the favorite to win.

They'd worked so smoothly together, so effortlessly, that it had stung when she'd come out as a villain. The absolute trust and faith he'd had in that partnership was gone… but seeing her like this, seeing a bit of the old Izumi coming out, he couldn't help but want to cling onto it just a bit longer.

"We've been given permission to use our quirks to get to safety. Maybe if you follow the path backwards and keep an eye out for their use of quirks you be able to find them." He told her, and saw relief swim into those familiar green eyes.

"Okay, come with me. If we stay low and quiet we can get out of range." She sat up, started to stand but Shoji placed his hands on her waist to keep her there's a moment. The press of hips against hips had him blushing and loosening his grip but he kept her still nonetheless.

"It won't work. Dark Shadow lashes out at any sound or movements, and you'll just wind up getting hurt again. I can distract him and run as fast as I can back to camp to give you a-"

"No…" she said it firmly and placed her hands on his. "I'm not abandoning you," she paused for a moment as an idea struck her. "Now that I think about it, I don't want to leave Tokoyami either. It's my fault he's in this state because I didn't keep a close eye on my comrades. I need to take responsibility for it."

"Then what do you suggest?" He rolled them over, wrapping his arms back around her protectively as Dark Shadow pounced where they'd been laying.

"Kacchan and Shoto have quirks that can shut Tokoyami's down. If he's lashing out at sounds and movements, then our best bet is to work together, and take Tokoyami straight to them."

"It's risky…" he started and caught her wicked smile.

"In order to save others you have to take risks, right?" She touched his cheek giving him a look of affection before shifting back to serious mode. "We'll need to be careful. We should try to run as close in tandem as we can. If one of us falls back the other-"

"Then let's do this." Shoji pulled her onto his back and wrapped her up in his tentacles like a protective cocoon. "This way we can't be separated."

"Your chivalry is admirable, but ill advised under the circumstances." She laughed a little against his ear. "Extend your arms out to the farsides to act as distractions, but be sure to keep a smooth rhythm. I know it's a lot to process especially when running for your life but-"

"Let's do it." Shoji stood and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Let's save him!"

Save... Izumi's eyes softened and looked at Shoji's determined expression. That paired with Tokoyami's cry of pain brought back all the emotional attachments she had to the students of Class 1-A. She felt the burn in her throat, and the tears that wanted to spill and lay her head down on Shoji's shoulder.

"Hmm, Midoriya? Are you alright?" Shoji glanced back.

"Yeah, just a bit light headed from the hit." Immediately Karma hardened her gaze and slowly lifted her head to breathe into his ear again. "Just remember...This doesn't change anything. Once everyone's safe… I'm back to being your enemy. Got that?"

"Midoriya…" He'd heard the change in tone and voice, and caught the hardened gaze. He turned his head back around to Tokoyami and nodded once. "Understood."

**~Shoto and Bakugo~**

Shoto unleashed a mountain of ice to protect himself and Bakugo from the attack. He grit his teeth keeping his eyes peeled for the quick movement. On his back he had one of the Class B students whom had passed out from the gas attack.

"This is gettings us nowhere. We got permission to use our quirks, but neither of us can get a good hit on the guy without setting the forest ablaze again."

"How fucking annoying." Bakugo agreed, his hands sparking and dying to let loose on the creep.

"Flesh! Beautiful meat!" Moonfish groaned in what sounded like a mix of pain and euphoria. He stare down at his prey, his metal like teeth acting like stilts and suspending him high in the air and out of Bakugo's immediate range.

"Teeth attacks, seriously? I've had it with playing safe, It's time I blast this guy with everything I got!"

"We already discussed this, you can't!" Shoto discouraged.

"If the trees catch fire just cover them with ice, stupid."

"My vision will be impaired, I may not be able to see all of it!" He retorted, tired of having the same argument. They needed more help, they needed someone who could overpower this guy from a distance… but who?

"I see the ice! They must be fighting!"

The voice had Shoto's breath catching and he quickly looked to the side in the direction of it. There were loud sounds of trees crashing and the thudding of something massive heading their way.

"Is that Izumi?" Shoto whispered.

"Usagi… if it is she's so-" he trailed off when Dark Shadow's massive form came into view. "The Fuck?!"

"Todoroki! Bakugo! We need some light!" Shoji said in a panic as they ran out of space to hide and joined the group. Karma immediately dropped from his cocoon hold and she held out her good arm creating a protective barrier on herself and the other students.

"What the hell is going on!?" Bakugo cursed at her, tempted to attack her where she stood, but wasn't stupid enough to bring down the barrier that kept them protected.

"We'll explain later." Shoji said and pointed. "Right now Dark Shadow is out of control."

"Alright," Shoto set the Class B student down. "I'll use my fire."

"Wait," Bakugo held out his hand. "Not just yet."

"Why?" Shoto started to protest.

"He's right!" Karma shouted in agreement. She struggled to maintain the barrier, pushing harder against Dark Shadow's onslaught. Despite the difficulty, she smiled wickedly as Moonfish started to pick himself up from initially being trampled on. "Not just yet!"

"Flesh…" Moonfish wheezed looking demonic as he pulled himself up with his teeth. "Slabs of meat. Cannot allow this, only I get to slice them open!" More of his teeth stab out in attack. "NO ONE GETS TO STEAL FROM ME!"

"YOU DON'T MATTER!" Dark Shadow overpowered him, clasping him in his large claw and crushing him like a big. "Insignificant insect."

"Now!" Karma finally let down the barrier and both Bakugo and Todoroki raced forward. As Dark Shadow returned his attention to them he was reduced to a tiny sparrow size from their combined fire power.

Tokoyami pulled him back inside and collapsed on the ground huffing and puffing from the exertion of controlling his quirk.

"Thanks…" He sighed in both shame and relief. "You saved me."

"We could barely defend against that guy, but you finished him off with ease." Shoto looked to the unconscious villain slumped against a tree.

"Even the most powerful quirks have bad pair ups…" Karma spoke a bit winded herself from defending against Dark Shadow. "For example, Kacchan is weak against water quirks."

"Is that what you told everybody in your new crew?" Bakugo sneered watching her walk towards Moonfish. "What the hell are you even doing helping us? Don't these guys take orders from you?"

"Not this one…" She stood over Moonfish sneering down. "These guys are villains Tomura chose, and this whole little excursion was his idea. I'm here to shut it down before things get too out of hand."

"Doesn't matter," Bakugo sneered. "Whether you help us or not, we're gonna roast these assholes. I made a vow that the next time I see you, I wouldn't show you any mercy, so unless you want to wind up the same as your friend there, I suggest you leave."

"He's not my friend!" She shouted back and clenched her good first going to a knee in front of Moonfish. She eyed his horrific face, hate and frustration building up inside her.

"Is he dead?" Tokoyami asked worried that his quirk had gone too far.

"No…" Karma responded coldly, and pulled out her knife. "...but he will be." She raised it above her head, ready to bring it down into the villain's skull but Shoto grabbed her wrist sneering.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He yanked her up, the knife dropping at their feet. She struggled against him glaring up with tears in her eyes.

"I told you, he's a loose end!" She yanked her hand free and stepped back. "There's no way I'm letting a man like this into my league! He's an escaped convict from death row which means he's going to wind up dead either way. At least this way there's no chance for his escape this time."

"Do you honestly think that makes it right?" Shoto whispered, his eyes staring fiercely into hers. "There's laws and a justice system for these criminals."

"The justice system is beyond flawed, and the fact he managed to escape in the first place proves that!" She pointed an accusing finger at Moonfish. "Do you have any idea how many sick crimes this man has committed? Murder is the least offense on that long list!"

"Pot and kettle," Bakugo scoffed and laughed at her. "Just how many people have you killed, Usagi?"

"That's not my name. The name is Karma and I kill only those that deserve it!" She whirled on Bakugo. "My job is to pass judgement on the guilty, even if it means passing it on my own people."

"Does that include yourself?" Shoto whispered and caused her to tense up. "Isn't that why you resorted to giving in and joining them?"

"Izumi Midoriya has paid for her crimes with her life." Karma said with a twisted little smile. "You all saw that, didn't you? Tomura made a nice splashy display for the world to see her for who she truly is."

"BULL SHIT!" Bakugo snapped, and caught Izumi off guard for a minute. "I've never heard such a ridiculous load of crap in my life!"

"Y-You.." Izumi started to stutter and Karma forced her smile back into place. "You don't change at all do you, Kacchan? Still so abrasive."

"You don't belong with them Izumi and you know it. The whole fact you helped us just proves that." Shoto argued but Karma shook her head.

"Don't make me laugh, Shoto." She played it cool by turning her back to him. To add to the act she set a hand on her hip and let out a huff. "I only helped you because I was keeping my people from doing something stupid. He has this ridiculous notion to induct you into the league because he thinks I still harbor feelings for you two, pfft such farce. As if a villain like me could think of you two as anything more than an irritating annoyance."

Something was wrong with everything she just said. Bakugo's initial annoyance with her calmed, and he had to laugh a little. He'd never been able to tell what she was thinking, but right now she was an open book.

"Do you think we're stupid enough to believe that?" He snorted. "Face it, you're not cut out to be a villain."

"Excuse me?" Pissed off, she slowly turned her head and eyed him with disdain. Knots formed at her temple and she could feel her temper meshing with the other raw emotions already bubbling.

"Damn it, you guys, don't make her mad." Tokoyami whispered but Bakugo brushed him off.

"You heard me yah damn nerd. You've always wanted to be a hero ever since we were kids. You can't bring yourself to hurt us. It's why you took us on yourself instead of sending one of your thugs on I-Island. It's why you can't sit still when your own people are plotting to hurt us. You can't let go of your dreams, and you can't let go of us!"

"Oh for Christ's sake, Kacchan, get over yourself!" She whirled on him and cut a hand through the air. "I already told you my being here has nothing to do with the past! I've hurt plenty of people and I'm fully capable of hurting and killing you. I'm just not stupid enough to maim a kid because how many masses of people would support that? Oh and while we're at it stop calling me that ridiculous name!"

"Oh yeah?" He retorted with a confident sneer. "If old feelings have nothing to do with it then why the fuck do you still call me Kacchan?"

Izumi's confidence faltered a moment as that comment hit straight home. She ran nervous fingers through her hair and grit her teeth.

"You're looking too deep for answers...Bakugo…" the taste of that name was so sour it made her flinch and she turned her back to him again to hide it.

"That was pathetic…" He stepped towards her holding out his hand. "Stop lying to yourself, Usagi. You're not one of them, you never have been." When she stayed quiet he got even closer and let his face go gentle with affection. In his mind he kept picturing the sweet and happy girl he'd known as a kid. "Izumi…"

The sound of her name coming from Bakugo's lips did something inside her. Pain erupted in her chest and she held it tight wanting to bend over and throw up.

"No… she's dead… she's dead… she's dead..." she muttered that phrase over and over trying to convince herself it was true. "I killed her! Karma killed her!"

"She's alive…" Bakugo reached out for her feeling so close to his childhood friend. "She's standing right here."

"NO!" She whirled slapping his hand away. Bakugo suddenly got a reverse case of Deja Vu. As kids Izumi had attempted to help him… but he'd slapped her hand in very much the same way she did just now. The look of hatred in her eyes was the same that had been inside him and it made his chest twist with guilt. "SHE'S DEAD! I KILLED HER!"

"LIAR!" Bakugo screamed back at her and grabbed her shoulders shaking. "You're fucking lying and you know it!"

"Let go of me!" She shoved at him, the tears that had been burning in her eyes now starting to slip down. "I SAID LET GO!"

"I won't!" He pulled her to him hugging her to his chest as tears of his own spilled. "Never again! I won't lose again!" He clung on for dear life burying his face in her neck. "I can't lose you ever again."

His words and resolve shook her to the core. She looked back at Shoto, Tokoyami, and Shoji and she could feel her heart splitting right down the middle once again. Shoto smiled a little in her direction, Shoji nodded as if agreeing with Bakugo's words, and Tokoyami just stare straight at her, as if looking right into her soul.

"Baka…" she teared up and closed her eyes. Her own arms came around him hugging him back. "Bakago Baka!"

The two of them fell to their knees and Izumi clung on for dear life. She felt Bakugo's hand stroke down her hair and just completely broke and sobbed into his chest. The other boys surrounded her, offering comfort by joining the embrace.

"It's alright, Izumi." Shoto pet the top of her head. "Everything is gonna be alright."

"No it's not" She continued to sob even as they soothed. "Nothing is alright, none of it is ever going to be alright! I messed up! I messed up so bad!"

"We can figure this out, Midoriya." Shoji offered. "The four of us will support you, and so will the rest of the class."

"Agreed." Tokoyami nodded. "All of us have missed you. Class just isn't the same without you there."

"Shut up!" She snapped it and shoved away from them all, using a spark of her power to push them away. "Shut up with your "it's all going to be okay" attitude! NOTHING is going to be okay anymore, not for me!"

She held her head the aching pound of so many voices screaming at her making her begin to snap. Her heart and her mind were being pulled and shoved in so many directions and she just couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm no hero…" She whispered it and lowered her hands to hug herself. "It doesn't matter how many lives I save now, because nothing can fix what I've done and what I've become. I've lied to everyone...even to my own mother. I manipulate and betray the people who care for me and validate the people who use me for my mind and my power. I've killed so many people…" she sobbed and pulled her hands away to stare at them. "I stained my hands with far too much blood to be considered nothing but a monster."

The boys all stood in grievous silence as Izumi confessed everything that had been weighing on her heart. Shoto was the first to approach her. He knelt down, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.

Bakugo made a strangled sound of irritation, and looked ready to rip him back and off… but saw what the effect was doing. He watched Izumi's eyes go wide at this and her hands fall limp. When he pulled back, she just stare dumbfounded at him.

"Even so…" Shoto spoke and wiped the tears away. "It doesn't stop us from caring about you, or erase the fact I'm in love with you. No matter what you've done, or how many times you fooled us, all of us kept hoping you'd come back. We know the real you, Izumi. Not the monster these villains have turned you into… but the REAL Izumi."

"Shoto…" she sniffed and held his hands, shaking. "You don't understand. I wasn't corrupted… I chose to be this way. Every bad decision I've ever made has led me down this path… all because I did what you're doing now. I'm protecting the person I love. I never thought I'd have regrets for something like that… I never thought I would miss you guys so much."

"Izumi…" Shoto stroked her face again, smiling when she leaned into the touch.

"Tomura and the league aren't the only people I care about." She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Even if we are on opposing sides, I can't help but want to protect you too. I love you all so much."

"Bout damn time you said it aloud." Bakugo smirked and had her sobbing out a laugh.

"Better late than never, I guess." She kissed Shoto's palm and then stepped out of his hold. His fingers stayed outstretched for her and his eyes turn sad and worried. She raised her head high and the stern expression returned. "You four should head to camp. You'll be safer now that you're in a larger group. I'll do what I can to pull the villains out and give you a clear passage back."

"No." Shoji stepped forward now. "You should come back to camp with us, Midoriya. We can help you."

"You want to help me?" She lifted her hand her quirk flowing out of her. "Then stay safe and stay out of my way." She whipped the power out, kicking up dirt and dust allowing her to flee into the trees.

The four young heroes stood in the path, watching her form disappear in the dark. Shoto turned to his comrades.

"Well? What's the verdict."

"Do you really have to ask, Icy Hot?" Bakugo grunted and immediately started running after Usagi. Shoto shrugged and jogged after him, followed closely by Shoji and Tokoyami.

"Just checking."

Karma finally found her group ten minutes later after discovering Rag Doll's bruised and beat up form on the ground. The guys had really done a number on her, probably as a precaution so she couldn't give her team mates information on them. After following the tracks where her assailants had come from, she spotted Dabi, Tomura, Twice, and the two new recruits waiting around casually.

"Well aren't you boys hard at work?" Her voice was thick with malice and irritation. She gave a couple of weak hand claps, her left arm still banged up from Dark Shadow's attack. "Nice job on fucking everything up."

"Karma… How nice of you to join us." Tomura stepped forward holding out his arms. "I'm told you're not quite satisfied with the little gift I've been preparing you."

"Gift for me?" She laughed. "No, more like gift for yourself. Call off the search party, Tomura, right now! I've already had to kill two subordinates because they wouldn't obey orders, don't make me kill more."

"Two? I heard you killed Muscular from Spinner and Magne, but who was the other?" He teased looking quite impressed by this.

"Doesn't matter, I said CALL THEM OFF!" She crossed her arms and whispered the other harshly between her teeth. "Or you and Dabi can sleep with each other from now on."

Dabi snorted at the threat, and Tomura made a sickened face and scratched his neck in irritation.

"You're always ruining my fun." He said irritably by quickly found his calm. "Fine, but we're going to have a serious discussion when we return."

"Agreed, it's time we had a deep and serious discussion." She crossed her arms waiting. Tomura pressed a finger to his neck and spoke aloud.

"Everyone report back to base, you have ten minutes or we're leaving without you." He looked to his queen. "Satisfied."

"Should have made it five." She muttered and leaned back on a tree. Dabi approached her, taking the injured arm in hand but she jerked away from him.

"Easy, I'm just checking the wound."

"It's fine, I'll have Twice stitch me up later." She scowled up at him. "I can't believe you of all people agreed to this."

"I was worried…" he murmured it so the others wouldn't hear. "My mistake… it won't happen again."

"Nice try, you're still in trouble." She sighed heavily, sweat sheened over her pale face. "Honestly I've had one hell of a night. You're all getting a lecture the minute we get back."

"Can it wait til morning?" He groaned rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm beat."

"Lazy ass." She teased and turned her head as Toga came skipping through the trees.

"Queeny! You decided to join us?" Toga jumped over to her. "I met some friends of yours! They were such nice girls."

"You didn't kill anyone did you?" Karma narrowed her eyes, a bit of panic bubbling in her chest wondering whom she could have run into.

"No…" Toga sighed heavily. "These mean boys ran through the bushes right at me before I could finish them off… but I did get some nice samples." She giggled and held her cheeks.

"It's for the best, Toga." She lay a hand on her shoulder and offered up a smile. "I know you expressive your love differently, Toga. It's beautiful and unique… but remember one thing. If they're dead, then they're gone. You can't befriend a corpse."

"Not true, Stainy's dead and he's my friend." Toga grinned again and Karma grunted.

"More like a trophy…" she muttered.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, My King." Compress floated down… "I was checking on the groups as you requested. I'm afraid the others in our group have been defeated or apprehended."

"Then they fail." Tomura said firmly and looked to Spinner and Magne. "Congratulations, you two have made the cut."

"YES!" Spinner jumped for joy then bowed. "I am honored, my liege!"

"Call Kurogiri, it's time to go home." Karma stood up straight and walked to him.

"Just one moment, your majesty. I do have a bit of good news." Compress juggled three marbles into view and held them out between his fingers. "I happen to find a few potential recruits on my way. Two of which were on our list."

Izumi's eyes widened, and she turned her expression to Tomura. His eyes were so expressive with excitement that panic bubbled in her chest.

"Tomura, no, release them now!" Karma ordered waving her hand in the air.

"He went through the trouble of finding us new recruits, Karma." Tomura rubbed her shoulders and breathed on her ear. "Don't you think we should at least ask if they want to join?"

Tomura held up his fingers.

"Release them from their capsules, but let's keep them contained until they've given us an answer."

"Tomura I said-" she started to protest but Compress released Shoto, Bakugo, Shoji, and Tokoyai from their capsules.

"Welcome, Gentleman…" Tomura called out keeping his hands on Karma. "I hope the ride was pleasant."

"What the hell was that?" Bakugo sneered and eyed Usagi who struggled to remain composed and in character. He then eyed Tomura who showed off his possession but gently stroking gloved fingers along her neck and shoulder. "You…so you're the bastard!"

"None of them are any good." Karma called out, interrupting them. After taking a deep breath she found her calm again, and smiled sadistically in the hero's direction. "I could have told you that none of these U.A. students are fit to be villains."

"Oh? What makes you say that, Karma?" Tomura asked, his grip tightening and making her wince a little.

"...because they're heroes, Tomura." She laughed with pity. "My goodness it's so obvious you can't change them. I went to hero school, but I was always a villain from the start."

"Izumi…" Shoto looked at her, pain in his chest as he realized what she was doing. "Please don't."

"Awww, don't feel sad, Shoto. We had some great times, but I'm afraid society just won't let us play together anymore." She snapped her fingers. "Dabi, call our ride."

"Yes, Ma'am…" Dabi pressed the button on his bracelet and the villains congregated together. Kurogiri's warm formed and one by one the villain's stepped inside until only Izumi remained.

"This is goodbye, you guys." She told them.

"Don't do it, Usagi." Bakugo stepped towards her making her step back. "Don't leave again! This is wrong and you know it! You're not a villain"

"I'm a villain in the eyes of society, Kacchan." Izumi faced him fully, her eyes filled with emotion. They had a special connection, she knew, one that not even rivalry could tear apart. "... but it's time I and the rest of the world stopped caring about labels. Hero, Villain, Good, Bad, Black and White, we're all just humans with abilities trying to survive and force ideals onto other people. It's the popular opinion that counts and right now I'm in the minority… but things will change."

She ripped off what was left of her tie and grinded it under her boot.

"All I've ever wanted was to help other people. I wanted to be someone who could inspire, and give others comfort the way All Might did with his strength and his smile. My dream was taken from me. I'll never be a true hero like he was, but I found out I don't have to be. I can still help people even as a villain and that's what I'll continue to do. I will change the world, and force them to see my perspective if that's the case. I will keep pushing forward, and never give up!"

She reached into a pouch beside her whip and pulled out her hero journal, something she'd always kept on her instinctively. She tossed it at Bakugo's feet, the charred pages flipping open to All Might's autograph.

"Do yourself a favor Kacchan, and let the past go. I can never go back to the way I was, to the Izumi you knew… and you'll just have to accept that and move on." She turned her back to him and walked towards the warp. Bakugo bent down and picked up the book. He watched the pages flip through, and the first page was about him, shown in clear highlight on all his strength. Her grit his teeth and closed the book gripping it in hand.

"No… I'll never accept it!" He ran forward, blasting up and rushing her. Izumi whirled around, her eyes wide as their bodies collided and they both fall through the warp.

"BAKUGO!" Shoto shouted and rushed forward. He could see it closing and he made a running leap, diving head first into the shadow before it closed behind him.

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Whew! This chapter got long, but YAY! I got it done! I hope you're all excited for what's next! I know I am! **_

_**Next Chapter: Confrontation**_


	14. Confrontation

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 14: Confrontation**

Kota groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. His vision blurred and focused on Mandalay's happy and relieved face.

"Kota! Oh thank goodness you're alright!"

"Mandalay? Where am I?"

"You're at the hospital. Everything's okay now, the villains are gone." She petted his head gently as the tears of relief trickled down her face.

"Villains…" he murmured and then his eyes went wide as he shot up in bed. "Izumi! Where is Izumi?"

"If you're talking about Midoriya…" Aizawa came in, his head bandage and holding two cups of coffee. He handed one to Mandalay. "She made a nuisance of herself before escaping with the rest of her motley crew."

"She's okay then? She's not dead?" He looked relieved.

"No kid, she's alive, but she's in serious trouble." He sat down on the end of the bed. "I need you to tell me what happened before you got knocked unconscious."

"He just woke up, Eraser, are you sure this can't wait?"

"Two of my students are missing, time is of the essence." He argued and looked back to Kota.

"What will happen to Izumi if I do? Are you gonna arrest her?" Kota narrowed his eyes.

"She's a criminal Kota, so yes she will be arrested. She's a bad person..." Mandalay tried to soothe but he slapped her hand away.

"No she's not!" Kota screamed at her. "Izumi isn't a bad person! She's just trying to help people!"

"Is that what she told you?" Aizawa narrowed his eyes.

"She didn't have to. I can just tell! I'm not stupid!" Kota lowered his head tears springing from his eyes. "She listens to me, she understands me, and she saved me when the real villains attacked. She's just trying to protect the people she cares about, what's so criminal about that?"

"She's killed a lot of people, Kota." Mandalay tried to rationalize

"Because people won't listen! She tried to make that Muscular guy go away but he wouldn't listen! So she fought him to protect me! She's not bad! She's not!" He wiped his tears and glared at Aizawa.

"How is it our fault?"

"I don't have to tell you anything!" Kota spat. "You're all the same to me. Heroes and Villains. Izumi isn't like the rest of you! She's not gonna play by your rules and neither am I!"

**~League of Villains~**

"You just had to jump in after her…" Shoto grunted and wiggled against his restraints.

"Shut up icy hot, no one asked you to follow me." Bakugo sneered back. He glanced up as the criminals all gathered in the livingroom in what looked like an elaborate cabin home. So this is where the villains had been hiding out. He wondered if it would be possible for him to get a look out the window so he can venture a guess to where they were.

"Get off me, Twice." Karma shrugged him off as he tried to finish the stitches on her wounded arm. "That can wait until I finish what I've got to say." She walked up to Bakugo and Shoto glaring down irritably. Unless she took control of the situation there was no way she'd be able to convince her crew to let these two go. "No more Miss Nice guy." She murmured before lifting her head to her crew.

"Where...in your puny little minds...did you think this was a good idea?!" She

lashed out, her quirk raging and knocking over furniture and random objects. The other members of the league took shelter behind walls and counters trying to avoid the consequences of her rage. Shoto and Bakugo who were restrained had little choice but to lay on the floor and hope not to get hit with the debris. "Now that we're finally getting support, now that we finally have financial security, you want to ruin it by putting us back where we started? Attacking U.A. didn't work the first time, what in god's name did you think was gonna change this time?"

"You're overreacting, Karma." Dabi said calmly as he rubbed his inner ear. He was used to her tantrums by now, and felt confident he could calm her down if needed. "We did this for your benefit."

"My benefit? MY BENEFIT!?" She scoffed and laughed, pacing the floor as the irritation grew. "You attacked a secret training session for UA students, maimed and possibly killed several of the pro heroes looking after them, set the surrounding forests on fire, and kidnapped two students for your own selfish needs. How is any of that beneficial to me? Or to the league?"

"Technically they jumped through the warp on their own-" Dabi started to argue but Tomura held up a hand.

"Let it go, Dabi." Tomura sat down in his seat and lounged back. He felt fully in power, despite Karma's lecture. "No point in sugar coating the reason." He eyed his queen, his red eyes narrowing on her fury filled face. "I chose this mission for our new allies… because I want these two," he pointed to Bakugo and Todoroki. "Dead."

"I know full well what you wanted them for." She hissed through gritted teeth and glared at him. "You know my policy, of our victims have to have committed an act that is of equal value to the punishment. Aside from being heroes in training, what possible crime could have they committed?"

"I want them dead because they're the reason you strayed…" He said simply and the tension in the room thickened with a knife. Tomura stood back up pointing an accusing finger at her. "You were and have always been mine… but these two adolescent boys are the reason you are in constant debate with yourself. You're attached to them, you want them, but because you can't have them you chose to have an affair with this ugly zombie," He jerked a thumb at Dabi. "-to rid yourself of these desires."

Karma said nothing… because she couldn't deny it. She'd told Tomura the truth about her affair with Dabi, the reasons why she ultimately allowed Dabi into her bed, and ultimately into her heart.

"If it weren't for these brats you would belong solely to me. I wouldn't have to share you with him or feel the need to seek another woman for comfort because you're off canoodling with him!" He spat at her his gloved hands scratching at his neck, with unsatisfactory results. "I wouldn't have to wonder where you are, or who you are with, because you would be here with me. You'd be by my side like you said you would be from the start. YOU BELONG TO ME!" He screamed it at her, his insanity and obsession for her in plain view for all to see.

"Are you quite done?" Karma said coolly waiting for Tomura's breathing to calm. She unfolded her arms and let them fall at her side. "I've had enough of this pity me act, Tomura. More than enough. I've stayed by you, been your support, your ally, your friend, your lover, and your fucking punch bag because I know what you've gone through. I know how painful it is for you to face the world in its current state, and I'm doing all I can to change it because I love you and I want to help you." She walked forward, blood from her wounds dripping bright red on the pale carpet. "...but as I said before despite how I feel about you I'm not just going to let you run wild and have your way. I'm not going to indulge you like Sensei did and feed everything to you on a silver platter."

"You should do as I say like the rest of them. This is my league, and I am King!" Tomura started to protest and got another scoff and laugh out of Karma.

"You're a fucking man child playing with action figures!" She scolded him and spread her arms. "Do you really think it's been you pulling the strings of this organization? I gave you the title King because I wanted you to learn to take charge. I wanted you to learn responsibility, and to think your actions through." She tapped her temple. "Be a smart king, remember?"

"I was smart, I thought everything through just like you said, and we would have succeeded easily had you not interfered!" Tomura snapped. "You just had to get involved, you just had to make it difficult!"

"The plan itself was well executed but what about your motives?" Karma spat back at him, waving a hand out and spreading blood over the carpet. "Two of your choice men had good quirks, but they were sadistic criminals who would rather beat a man bloody than think things through logically and take orders! Muscular nearly killed a harmless little boy because you set him loose without keeping a proper leash on him!"

"We're villains, Karma, we're all criminals!" He motioned to himself and the others around the room.

"No! There's a difference between us and them, and you know it. I don't kill for the fun of it Tomura, and neither will the league. There is a purpose in everything we do, and a goal we need to reach, and we won't reach that if we're just killing people at random!"

"That's your weakness talking." Tomura pointed a finger at her. "You still think you can be a hero. You can't let go of that image, and it's their fault!" He points to Bakugo and Todoroki. "Once I get rid of them, then you'll see. You'll see MY vision, the way I see the world."

"Vision my ass! You only want to kill them because I admitted being attracted to them! You're letting your jealousy, and need for me ruin everything!" Her eyes go sad and held such disappointment. "I trusted you to give these grunts a mission because what you came up with for Nakahara was brilliant. I was proud of you for really thinking out the strategy, for coming up with a plan all on your own without it damaging our objective. I thought you were stepping up and living up to your title... but now I see that I was a fool for trusting you with anything!"

"You wanna talk about trust!?" Tomura snapped, his fury on high boil now. "How about you fucking Dabi behind my back!?"

"I didn't hide anything from you! I told you up front that I slept with him. Unlike you! I had to hear from Toga that the two of you locked lips!"

"That's different! I'm not whoring myself to every good looking man who comes my way!"

"WHORING!?"

As the fight escalated from a simple disagreement, to a full blown argument, the rest of the league looked on with varying degrees of concern and intrigue.

"Why are mommy and daddy fighting?" Twice poked his fingers together looking conflicted between the two leaders.

"I don't know, but does anybody else feel like we shouldn't be here right now?" Toga whispered, shifting uncomfortably and trying to step back out of the room.

"And miss the fun? Someone should be making popcorn, this is prime entertainment." Compress lounged comfortably against the wall as the two lovers quarreled.

"Aren't you two going to do something?" Ace looked over at Kurogiri and Dabi.

"What can we do?" Dabi shrugged. "This was bound to happen sooner or later, and if we get involved now it'll just make it worse."

"Agreed, better for them to let it out and clear the air." Kurogiri agreed, but immediately regretted it as a vase went flying.

"I can't believe I was stupid enough to fall in love with you! You're nothing but a self serving jerk who only cares about helping himself!" Karma spat, throwing random objects at Tomura as she reached the end of her patience.

"Self serving is it? Well If it wasn't for this self serving jerk, you'd still be a quirkless little nobody, crying and pining over All Might!" Tomura spat stepping up to take on the challenge. "It was my idea to give you a quirk, my idea that Sensei train you and get you into U.A." He snagged her by the throat and pulled her in, but Karma didn't budge, her eyes staying fierce and lips peeled back in a snarl. "Without me, you'd be nothing."

"You're wrong, Tomura." She hissed at him low. "It's not my quirk that makes me powerful, but my mind." She snagged his wrist and pressed on the pressure points to make him let go and she yanked his grip away. "I will thank you for one thing though. Without Sensei's training, I wouldn't be able to do THIS!" She shoved his hand away and she punched him in the gut. He fell back slamming into the coffee table and breaking it in two.

The other members of the league suddenly shifted and spread out as Tomura pulled himself up out of the debris, his clothes ripped and blood dripping from pieces of glass he'd landed on.

"You fucking bitch!" He ripped his gloves off and charged at her. Karma avoided his touch and grabbed both his wrists, keeping his hands off her and the two pushed each other, shoving and wrestling until they hit the ground. Tomura's hand gripped the leg of a chair disintegrating it. Karma's tentacles whipped out chaotically, her emotions too wild to control their trajectory.

"That's it, I'm outta here!" Toga squealed as one of the tentacles snaps over her head and she makes for the front door. "We're all gonna die at this rate!"

"I'm with Toga on this one!" Twice shouted and comically ran out the door immediately following the others. Todoroki braced himself up with his knees, ducking a flying chair that nearly caught him across the temple.

"This is our chance to get in touch with the heroes. Let's go while she has him distracted!" Bakugo got to his feet and the two of them made their way through the house to find a phone. A search through the kitchen remained futile, and dangerous with the destruction from the living room moving in the direction of glass and sharp implements. They made their way up the stairs, searching through bedrooms and finally stumbling upon a burn phone laying on a king size bed in the master suite.

"Bingo!" Todoroki went to it, using his chin, nose, and mouth to pry it open and dial 911. He lay on the bed holding his head above it so he could hear it ring.

"_911, what is your emergency?" _

"I need help! My name is Shoto Todoroki, son of Endeavor. My classmate and I have been kidnapped by the league of villains and are being held captive in some kind of cabin in the woods."

"_Okay, Shoto, try not to panic and keep the line open. We're going to track your phone and send help."_

"Please hurry! A fight broke out, and it's getting-"

"TODOROKI!" Bakugo shouted and slammed the door closed bracing himself against it. "They've found us!"

The door went up in blue flames and Bakugo leapt and rolled away to avoid being burned to ash. Dabi stepped through the burning archway, his eyes gleaming in the dark.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Shit…" Shoto stood up looking pale and panicked.

"Do you really think calling in the authorities is going to help you?" He cupped his hand as more flames formed. "Or better yet, do you think it'll save Izumi?"

The two hostages eyed each other nervously then back at the villain in the doorway.

"You're the idiots who jumped through the portal. Izumi had convinced Tomura to back off and pull everyone back, but you wasted her efforts to keep you safe. It's because of you she's unleashed all the chaos in her mind, it's because of you that everything she's worked so hard to build is crumbling. It'd serve you both right if I burned you alive right where you stand."

Both boys braced to fight, but knew they stood no chance. They were pinned down, bound by the cuffs, and without the use of their quirks. Dabi reached out and snagged the phone.

"Down the hall…" He crunched the cellphone in hand, burning it to a crisp. "Take a right and use the backstairs. It leads to a back entrance, and the path to the Pussycat agency. If you know what's good for you, you'll run and keep on running. Get out of my sight, and stay away from Izumi."

He shoved them out the bedroom door and let go as their paths veered. Dabi took the steps back down to where the fight was still going on, and the other two looked at each other.

"What should we do?" Todoroki asked looking conflicted. "Should we really just leave. The whole point of us jumping through the portal was to save Izumi."

"If we stay here we'll just make things worse." Bakugo answered. It had been a stupid and impulsive move on his part to jump in the first place. Not that he'd admit it openly. "We're not doing ourselves or Usagi any favors by staying. At the very least we can get help, and tell the pros what we know."

"I guess you're right…" Still Todoroki lingered, listening to Izumi's grunts and cries of battle and felt his heart ache. "I'm sorry, Izumi." He turned his back on the fight, and in doing so turned his back on her.

**~Downstairs~**

"Get off me you fat whore!" Tomura shouted at Karma as she pinned him down. She finally gained control of her quirk after feeling her fatigue kick in and she wrapped his hands up rendering his quirk useless.

"Not until you apologize!"

"Like hell!"

"Okay I think that's enough excitement for one evening your majesties." Dabi yanked Izumi off of Tomura. "Let's settle down."

"Let go of me Dabi I'm just as pissed at you for going along with his whims." She shrugged him off huffing and puffing, her costume torn up, hair disheveled and both she and Tomura were covered in scrapes, cuts, and blood.

"You won't get an apology from me either." He admitted. "We did what we thought was best for you, or at least that's the reason I did it."

"How was this-" she started to repeat her argument but Dabi cut her off quick

"Your attachment to them is unhealthy!" He shouted at her. "They're future heroes, Karma. They're your enemies and tonight proved that you're incapable of hurting them. You need to fully commit to being a villain."

"I have committed! Just because they're heroes doesn't make them my enemies. I only punish-"

"That's not good enough… not anymore. You can't let your emotions and morals cloud your judgement. If it comes down to a choice in protecting us or protecting them you can't just take the middle road."

"Why the hell not?" She grit her teeth. "I told everyone from the start that this isn't about Heroes vs. Villains. It's about survival. It's about making the world a place where everyone fits in, a place where even the outcasts can mesh with society!"

"It's a beautiful dream Karma." Shigaraki said standing up and holding his side. "but that's all that it is… a dream. The world will never see things from your perspective."

Tears stung Izumi's eyes and she turned her back to them to hide them.

"Then what the hell have I been doing all this time? Wasting my efforts? Playing around?" She lowered her head and bat the tears away. "I want to change the world… I want to make it a better and more open place for people like us to live."

"We can make it better but we can't make it perfect." Dabi said surprisingly patient. "No matter what society chooses we'll always be the outcasts, the bad guys, the villains. You'll have to live with it." He waited a beat for her to respond. When she only stare at the floor he walked over to her and ran fingers through her disheveled hair. "For the record, Karma, you're not wasting your time. You said you wanted to help the outcasts and you have. You're building a strong Kingdom here, Karma. You're teaching a bunch of misfits how to coincide and work together as a team. You're giving a home and a place to belong to those whom society have abandoned. That means something doesn't it?"

She lifted her head and looked up at Dabi teary eyed. His normally stoic expression was soft with affection and she felt that familiar thump in the heart.

"Dabi…"

"God you make me sick…" Tomura scratched at his throat. "All this sentimental blather is annoying."

"Watch it King…" Dabi hooked a comforting arm around Izumi when she tensed up. "You may find it annoying, but it's what has been holding this team together from the beginning."

"Tch," he looked to Karma who stayed silent and seemed to stare off into space. Her mind wandering off in thought. "I'm still not apologizing."

"Then don't…" she whispered and took a deep breath. "...because Dabi is right. I've only been half assing my role until this point." She held her heart. "Despite all I've accomplished, I've been letting this unrealistic ideal take my focus. In truth I was the one being selfish, because I wanted to be able to mesh my old world, with my new one."

She lifted her head higher and she walked over the debris and out of the house. She looked at her crew that had cluttered on the lawn, all with their own mix of curiosity and worry. She offered them a smile.

"This crew is my responsibility, this is the path I've chosen… and as much as I wish my old friends from U.A. could be a part of it, I know where their hearts truly lie."

Shigaraki stepped up behind her, lifting a pinky as he set his hand on her shoulder.

"So… are you done being stupid?"

"Are you done being an ass?" She smirked up at him, and he let out a pithy laugh in response. "I believe some reevaluating is in order."

"Tomura! Queeny!" Toga jumped up and down and raced up to hug them both. "I'm so happy you're not dead!"

"You are?" Karma raised a brow.

"Yeah… I can't be friends with a corpse, right?" Toga beamed and Karma's heart warmed to her. She offered a smile and gave her a genuine hug filled with affection.

"Right."

"So…" Twice fidgeted a little in place. "Is the fighting over? Can we go back to normal now?"

"Yes, Twice, the fighting is over." Dabi brushed by the royals and walked down the steps. "I suggest we all gather what we can from here and find another hide out. Those two hostages escaped during the battle and they're bound to let the heroes know where we are."

"Damn it, I forgot about them." Shigaraki scratched at his neck with a sneer.

"Not to worry!" Compress came from around the house bouncing two marbles in hand. "I happen to catch them fleeing out the back door." He displayed them between his fingers.

"Tch…" Dabi grit his teeth, damning his little brother. "Good work, I guess."

"Indeed, now shall we dispose of the little beasts via a video? Or how shall we handle these loose ends, My Queen?"

Izumi stare at the marbles and held out her outstretched hand for them. She stare down with a sober expression, her inner turmoil still causing discomforting noise in her busy brain.

"Well Karma?" Shigaraki snagged her chin lifting her eyes up to his. "Who do you choose?"

Karma clutched the marbles to her heart, silently apologizing to the two inside as she leaned into Tomura, stood on her toes, and kissed him.

"You guys are my family… and I will protect my family from any who try to destroy it." She tossed the marbles back at compress. "Keep them contained… and let's move locations. I will give them one last chance to join us…" her eyes go crazed and her smile spread as the plan and idea struck her instantly. "...even if they don't. They'll make the perfect bait to lure in our real target."

_All Might… _Izumi thought with a low laugh in her chest. _It's time for your reign to end. _

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Woot I got it out! It may take me a little longer to get the next update posted because I want to fact check a few things but I'll do my best to get it out and ready asap!**_

_**Next Chapter: Karma in Command**_


	15. Karma in Command

**Midori the Queen **

**Author's Note: I made a little mistake when announcing the next chapter. The title I released is actually for Chapter 16 not fifteen so I'll be sure to correct the mistake after I've posted this. Sorry for the confusion. **

**Chapter 15: Karma in Command **

"Bout damn time you showed up!" Bakugo sneered as Karma entered the room he and Shoto were being held in. "What's your plan for getting us out of here?"

"My plan?" She cocked her head to the side. "You ruined my plan, Kacchan." she twirled a knife in hand. "You just had to follow me, you just had to get involved. Now you're both gonna have to pay the price for it."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He eyed the dagger, and his body suddenly went cold. "You can't be serious. You're gonna kill us? Have you completely lost it!?" Bakugo shouted accusingly.

"Don't look so surprised Kacchan." Her eyes flirt with him as she dragged his body into position, shoving him in a chair and eyeing his body, trying to figure out what the best way to kill him was that would seem… poetic. "You know this is who I am. You told me that over and over that I could never be a hero and now that I agree with you, you're taking it all back?" She laughed sadistically. "How pathetic."

"Please Izumi, don't do this! This isn't you! You don't want this! Don't let them brainwash you!" Karma, annoyed by his broken record pleas, silenced him by taping his mouth. He looked at her wide eyed as she smiled almost playfully while patting his cheek.

"Believe me, boys, I don't want to do this… but what other choice do I have? I told you both in the woods that there's no going back for me. I'm a villain, that's all the world is gonna see. I need to start owning it." She picked up the blade again eyeing the shine. "Unfortunately my ties to the past are messing with my conviction. It's that whole wanting to be a hero kick… I just can't get rid of that dream… and it's all because of you Kacchan." She pointed the blade at Kacchan. "You're my childhood friend, my rival, and my first love. All my earliest memories start with you, and it's making it hard to move on." She stroked his chin in her hand eyeing him affectionately.

Bakugo went pale as a sheet as he tried to think his way out of this. He didn't know what to say, or what to do as she pointed the shining blade in his face. She straddled him nuzzling her lips with his a moment in a kiss that was both tender and terrifying.

"Some days I wish I could just go back, start fresh, and just be with you and everyone in U.A. I could be free to follow my heart and my dreams, but it's all just a fantasy." She dragged the knife down his cheek, her eyes looking so pained and tragic. "You taught me that, Kacchan. I'm not capable of being a hero… I never was."

"That's not true," Bakugo whispered as both fear and pain caused the words to just stumble out of him. "I should know because I lied to you every single time I said you didn't have what it takes!" Tears sprung to his eyes. Karma's expression shifted to shock as he was reduced to tears and confessions. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't been such an ass to you, if I'd been more supportive you would have never joined that bastard Shigaraki. I was just so high on myself and overprotective of you. I thought I was strong enough to protect you but I was wrong. I'm weak! I've always been weak compared to you!"

Bakugo wasn't sure why he was blurting all this out now...maybe because he knew he was about to die and this was the only chance he had to tell her the truth...the whole truth. In his mind he kept playing images of their childhood in his head, wishing he could go back, wishing he could make things right.

"_You're so awesome Kacchan!"_

"_Kacchan, Kacchan look! I got All Might too! Isn't he awesome?"_

"_I'm gonna be a hero and make everyone smile just like All Might!"_

"You've never given up, no matter how many times you failed." Bakugo looked in her eyes. He could see his Izumi struggling to get to the surface, see the battle inside. "You've always done your best, exceeded your limitations trying to achieve your goals. I thought it was stupid how you'd risk your own safety for others, how you climbed up a tree to save a kitten and wound up falling and breaking your arm. How you ran down a rocky path to pull me out of the water because you thought I was hurt. How you stood up to me even when you were scared. I hated you for it...and respected you because of it."

"Kacchan…" her breath hitched and the hand that held the knife shook.

"_What are you waiting for? Do it!" _Karma screamed internally at her causing her gaze to sharpen again. _"Cut your ties, remove your weakness!"_

"I deserve this, Izumi, I deserve to die for not cherishing you the way I should have. I thought I could keep you tied to me. I thought you'd go on worshipping me forever and I could keep you like a pet...but I was wrong. You're no one's pet, Usagi. You're not a pet, not a tool, and sure as hell not a punching bag. You're your own person capable of making your own decisions. If this is really what you want. If you really want to kill me then do it...but make sure it's what you want...not Shigaraki, not Karma, but you. It's your choice."

She stood up so to clutch the knife in both hands. Her teeth grit, trying to push back the guilt and sympathy she felt for him, and for herself. She was determined to see this through. She would NOT cower away again. She would NOT let her childish dreams ruin her plans.

"You should have said that years ago..." tears slipped down her cheek one by one. "But now it's too late!"

"I know...I'm sorry…" he swallowed the dry lump in his throat. "I'm sorry for everything." he closed his eyes, resigned to his fate. Shoto struggled more against his bindings, screaming through his gag as Karma lifted the knife over Bakugo's head.

As he thought of his life, of his regrets, he spoke the words he'd always wanted to say, but never had the guts to admit to her.

"I love you."

The knife clattered to the floor and Izumi just crumbled to her knees. Bakugo let out a trembling gasp and looked down at her. She covered her face with her hands sobbing into them.

"Damn you, Kacchan!" She sobbed and rubbed at her tears. "I can't…I just can't!"

**_~End of Flasback~_**

Karma snapped out of her daze as a ladder tipped over causing a massive crash. The buzz and vibrations of the work being put in were loud, but satisfying as her plan B started coming together.

"THIS…" Tomura grumpily motioned to the large warehouse, and the various clone grunts putting things together the scene Karma was creating. "...is your plan?"

"I think she's feverish!" Twice put a hand to her forehead looking concerned. "Cool as a cucumber!"

"Lay off, you two…" Karma shoved at Twice and went back to eyeing her chessboard.

"You do realize this is not how reality works, right?" Dabi motioned to the game board. "What you're planning on doing is insane, and filled with holes for error."

"You're the ones who wanted me to get invested, and here I am…" she moved her queen forward smirking a little. "Relax, it's not like I'm putting any of you in danger."

"Which is WHY it concerns us." Kurogiri pointed out picking up her piece. "You discouraged Shigaraki from challenging All Might, and yet you feel you can take him on your own?"

"There's no guarantee he'll come alone, either. Even if you somehow managed to beat him, more than likely his back up we'll be waiting to come pick up the slack." Dabi added crossing his arms. "I don't like it. Why can't we just make a video like we've always done?"

"Yeah, we can use those kids as our victims this time." Twice pointed in the direction of Bakugo and Shoto who were rigged up in cages and knocked unconscious.

"That wouldn't work," Karma snagged her queen back from Kurogiri and stare at the black piece. "I killed Stain for attempting to kill Iida who merely made an error in judgement. I'd be contradicting myself if I killed two high school students who did the same."

Besides… she shut her eyes as she recalled that memory again… I wouldn't be able to finish the job.

"Walk me through it again." Tomura rounded the little table she'd set up taking up the white pieces. "Just how do you plan to lure him in."

"Once we've taped the video, I'm sending it off to Tsukauchi whom I know has ties with All Might. I'm treating this as a sort of hostage negotiation, my only demand is, is that All Might comes alone to my chosen destination, and fights me one on one. Kacchan and Shoto will be free to go once he has arrived and it's proven that he has no assistance from any other heroes. He's allowed to bring police assistance as backup to secure the boys, but that's it."

"They may agree to that, but they'll have heroes on standby in a different location. More than likely ones that have teleportation or speed quirks in order to get there quickly if things go south.

" Dabi rationalized and Karma nodded in agreement.

"My goal isn't to win this fight… my goal is for All Might to drain what little power he has left and leave him incapable of continuing his work. Once the symbol of peace falls…" Karma knocks down the king. "It's game over for everyone else."

"It sounds good in theory," Kurorgiri stated. "Still there's a matter of power difference. You said yourself that Mirio Togata, who is his eventual successor, has bested you. How do you expect to last more than a few seconds against the original?"

"I'm glad you asked…" She smirked and stood up from the board. She walked over to a small stack of crates and rummaged through them. "There's a few things in my favor. One is he won't be trying to kill me, thus he'll need to watch the control on his strength and speed. Two, we'll be in a busy area with pedestrians nearby and he'll have to avoid excessive damage to the properties and perimeter. But this…" She pulled out a silver case and held it out to them. "...is my ace in the hole. It's still a prototype, as are the additions I made to my costume… but if it works, then I'll give All Might a fight he's sure to remember."

**_~Two Days Later~_**

The police received the video with little fuss. Once the contents were analyzed, not just All Might, but all the heroes from U.A. were called for a meeting to discuss how to handle the situation.

"_Long time no see, heroes." Karma stood on screen, her normal suit like costume had been destroyed so she's reduced herself to wearing her Phoenix gear minus the trench coat. She still had scrapes and bandages from her wounds but she looked calm and confident in front of the camera. "It's your friendly neighborhood League of Villains with a special message for the Symbol of Peace." _

The camera panned to Bakugo and Todoroki who remained unconscious and bound in their cages.

"_Despite my best efforts to keep them where they belong, a few little wannabe heroes decided to follow me and my crew home. As a good citizen, I'd very much like to return these boys to you… but I'd be a fool if I did it for free." _

"Somehow I knew there was going to be a catch." Aizawa rubbed his neck sighing. "After what Tokoyami and Shoji explained happened in the woods I had hopes Karma would just deliver with a warning for us to mind our business… but it's not gonna be that simple."

"_All Might," she touched her chest. "I've missed having you as my teacher, and hope you could come in person for one last training session. You're more than welcome to bring in police assistance so they can see to Kacchan and Shoto's safety, but it'd be a real bother to have any other hero entanglements are in the picture. Once my associates havr verified that youre alone we'll release the boys into police custody and my associates will leave us to complete the terms. I think that's a fair trade, don't you?" _

_The smile she gave the camera was both cute and disturbing, the way it stretched over her face and was paired with an intense stare into the camera. _

"Oi, oi, oi, she can't be serious!" Present Mic pointed and was hushed in response.

"_I'll be sure to leave the details for you at the end of this video. Please be mindful that if you don't follow instructions, or fail to show up, I'll have to have my associates-" she held out her arms as the camera zoomed out and showed the new full length league line up. "Deal with the problem instead… and as you may have noticed, they're not as friendly as I am." _

Everyone watching went grave and silent. The message Karma was delivering was crystal clear to them.

"_I'm looking forward to receiving my final lesson, and I hope to see you soon, My Hero." She made a heart with her hands and sent a wink to the camera. "Toodles." _

The video turned off and Tsukauchi turned towards the group.

"So that's our situation. I've already got an idea on how to deal with this… but I would like your take. Especially you, All Might."

"I think the message is crystal clear, Tsukauchi-kun." All Might said standing up tall and bulking up. "It's a personal challenge, me vs. the league. If I don't do it, then young Bakugo and Todoroki are in danger."

"Even if you aren't at your peak, isn't this a bit suicidal on their part?" Present Mic tapped a pencil on the table in a steady rhythm. "I smell a trap."

"I agree…" Nezu nodded. "Even if she's not thinking clearly, I don't see young Midoriya making such a rash move without some kind of plan. We'll need to make sure we can provide All Might with back up, and find a safe way to remove the boys without risking the hostage situation."

"Since she's releasing their location willingly this time, it's more than likely she'll have eyes in the sky, or some kind of method to keep an eye on the surrounding area to ensure they aren't being ambushed by other heroes." Midnight pointed out.

"Also they have the warp gate," Present Mic put in. "So if they catch wind of things going south they could easily escape with or without the kids in tow."

"So we follow their rules, but I'll still make some calls and inquiries to other heroes suited for this mission. We'll keep them on standby for back up, but our main source of action and defense is you, All Might." He looked to his friend. "The absolute priority of this mission is to guarantee those boys safety. Stop Karma and capture the league if you can, but rescue Bakugo and Todoroki by any means necessary. That is your mission."

"I shall make up for my failure on I-island, my friends." He beat a fist over his heart, forcing a smile to hide his fear and doubts. "Just leave it to me!"

**~Kamino Ward: Warehouse district~**

It was quite nostalgic to be back in the place that started it all. Karma recalled using this warehouse for all manner of things, including the production and storage of various Nomus. Still the image that stuck out to her the most was her training here. She remembered fighting against said Nomu's, being tortured and put through endurance training, and most vividly her endless matches against Sensei that sharpened her mind and focus.

"As it began, so shall it end…" She murmured and put a hand to her ear. "Broadcast are all the cameras in position?"

"They are…" he responded. "I'm already attached to the satellite, and will be ready to release the stream at your command, My Queen."

"Excellent, then standby." She switched frequencies, checking in with each of her members to make sure they were fulfilling their role. Behind her in their cages Shoto and Bakugo had stirred awake, and stare blankly at the girl pacing in the warehouse.

"I never thought I'd say this…" Bakugo murmured. "...but she's a damn good leader. I can see why the villains value her."

"I really thought she was gonna kill you…" Shoto said hoarsely and swallowed hard. "I thought she'd finally gone off the deep end."

"I could see it… I could see her tipping over, the struggle that's going on in her head." Bakugo shut his eyes again, the pain in his temples causing him to be woozy and feel sick. "I thought I was dead, and I was pissed at myself for letting it happen."

"Is that why you said all that stuff in your confession?" Shoto asked curiously.

"Shut up," Bakugo sneered. "If we get out of this you better not repeat anything you just heard, got that?"

"My lips are sealed." Shoto promised and struggled to stand up. His movements caused Karma to turn her attention to him and she offered a playful smile.

"Well hello sleepyhead."

"Izu- no… Karma." Shoto corrected himself and leaned his face between the bars. "What's going to happen to us?"

"If all goes well, you guys will be heading home within a few hours." She stepped up to him and stroked his face. "Did I scare you before?"

"Yes," he admitted staring pitifully in her eyes. "I can see now what you meant about not being able to go back… how far you've tipped over."

"Oh?" She cocked her head to the side and kept a hand on his cheek. "...and what's your opinion on that?"

"I don't know… I guess I just want to know why you're letting Karma take control of you." He leaned into her hand and closed his eyes.

"It's not just Karma who's the villain, Shoto…" her expression softened. "Karma may be the driving force behind my villainy, the moral compass I use to make decisions… but Izumi is just as much a villain as she is."

"How can you say that after all the good you've done?" He opened his eyes, her hand dropping to her side. "The people you saved, the donations you've made… all your best qualities come from her."

"No, Shoto…" Izumi's eyes go moist. "Karma only kills those that deserve death… Muscular, Nakahara, Stain, Sensei… they were all killed because they'd committed acts she considered unforgivable… but it wasn't Karma and the league that killed your father. It was me… it was Izumi that killed Endeavor."

"What are you talking about?" Shoto narrowed his eyes. "That one guy burned him alive-"

"Smoke and mirrors, Shoto. Just like when my identity as a villain was revealed, your father's death was just a cover up. I killed Endeavor… not because Karma told me to… but because I hated him." She pulled back and lowered her head looking guilty. "I hated him so much that I lost control of my quirk… and it killed him."

Shoto went silent for a long moment, soaking up this information and letting it all process. He lowered his head as well and let out a painful sigh.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I guess I didn't want to admit it to myself…I didn't want to admit that I cared enough about you that everything Endeavor did to you felt like a personal attack. Then he has the nerve to try and use me to control you."

"I'm telling you this now because the moment you're free Shoto, I want you to stop holding back. Own the power you have, and master it. It's your quirk, it's always been yours, so take it, use it, and be the best possible hero you can be." She placed both her hands on his cheeks looking at him with pure affection and heart. "We'll be on opposing sides, so I'll be really pissed if you continue to hold back on me."

"Izumi…" He leaned his face in and kissed her palm. "I made a promise to bring my father's killer to justice. So the next time we fight, I'm going to win. You better watch out."

"Looking forward to it." She kissed him lightly then shoved him down on his ass. "Now shut up and be a good little hostage. The show is going to begin soon, and you two will have some prime front row seats."

Less than an hour later All Might and Tsukauchi arrived to the warehouse. The squads loaded up their stun guns, and non-lethal ammo preparing for the shake down.

"Alright Jeanist," Tsukauchi spoke in his two-way. "Is your team in position."

"Ready on command, Detective." Jeanist told him. He and his small crew of back up heroes were ready to rumble at a moments notice. He'd taken particular interest in the case as it was his two interns who had wound up kidnapped.

"Man…" Mt. Lady groaned as she peered through the long distance binoculars. "I hate just sitting around."

"We don't have a choice, Mt Lady." Kamui Woods pat her shoulder supportively. "We can't risk putting those boys in any further danger."

"I suppose, but this is so boring…" she leaned on the railing of the rooftop and handed Kamui the binoculars.

"I know, but we're professionals, so let's act like it." He peered through the binoculars. "They're moving in…"

**~Inside the Warehouse~**

The entire warehouse was dark and smelled like fresh cement, the odd combination of rock and water. Cautiously All Might stepped in, holding an arm out to keep Tsukauchi back until he'd had the chance to survey the room. Spotlighted under a skyroof Karma sat on a throne, her legs crossed and head casually leaning against her knuckles. It was an image… she admitted to herself… that she'd picked up from Sensei.

"Welcome, My Hero." She smiled coyly. "I've been waiting for you."

"You've seemed to have made yourself comfortable." All Might said calmly and stood tall and proud. "Where are young Bakugo and Todoroki?"

"Right behind me…" She lifted a remote and casually pressed a button, a light flashing on showing off Bakugo and Todoroki in their cages, awake but still contained. "They've been waiting too. I imagine they're getting quite uncomfortable."

"You said you would release them, if all your terms were met." Tsukauchi spoke firmly. "Hand them over Karma, and we'll discuss your surrender."

"My surrender?" She laughed and folded her hands in her lap. "What makes you think I'm doing any of that?"

"Why else would you want to fight the #1 hero, if not to lose?"

"Hmmm why indeed…" Her smile turned twisted and she played with the remote as she spoke. "Tell me something, Detective Tsukauchi, do you think I'm stupid?"

Tsukauchi paused a moment before giving her a genuine answer.

"No… just naive."

"Naivety is defined as lacking experience, wisdom and or judgement. Experience I can agree with, but the other two I find rather insulting." She stood up showing off her new look to them. Just like the video she wore her Phoenix jumpsuit, minus the flame thrower and duster, and instead kept it looking sleek by adding different support items. Her gloves gleamed like onyx and fit like armor from fist to elbow. Her boots had metallic looking support soles that wound up the leg to her knee. She added a headpiece that looked like a coronet that double as a comlink and the longer they looked at her, they'd see her eyes shifted and focused like camera lenses.

"I see you made use of the items you stole." All Might shifted the conversation, quickly noticing that Tsukauchi had ruffled her feathers.

"I have… please do thank David for me when this is all over." She held up her hands, cracking her knuckles inside the glove as she flexed. "These items are mostly prototypes… but the few tests I've completed with them have proven successful and useful to me."

She paused in her speech as she received a message from ace over her calm. Her smile spread wide and she flipped up the remote.

"Well it seems all my terms have been met, so as promised these two are yours." She pushed the button and both Bakugo and Todoroki are freed from the cages. "Detective if you would be so kind as to escort them out and leave All Might and I alone? I believe it's time for that lesson."

"What are you up to, Little Midori?" All Might put his hands on his hips. "Even with these items, you must know how foolish it is to take me on alone. Where are your associates?"

"Not here…" She said simply and shooed Tsukauchi and the boys along. "Come on, move faster detective. As you pointed out before I don't stand a chance against the mighty symbol of peace."

"Somehow I don't believe that. Do you want me to stay, All Might?" He turned to his friend but Karma tsked him.

"Detective, detective, are you that eager for a lesson as well?" Karma flipped the remote again and gripped it firmly as the doors to the warehouse close leaving the three of them alone. "Very well, I guess I can include you in my lesson."

"Your lesson?" All Might's expression faltered.

"That's right…" She pushed a button and the doors and warehouse became sealed up tight as a bunker. There's banging from the outside from where the police tried to get in and interfere, but it was too late. All Might felt a vague sense of Deja Vu as he felt himself being bound and forced into a curled up state by metallic tape like material.

"What the… this security measure… did you also-"

"As it happens the vault included the plans and materials for several of I-Island's security measures. Including the lock down doors, and quirk restraints." She pushed another button, several screens popping up and various parts of the city were being shone. "You thought I was here to challenge you, All Might? Please I'm not stupid… I've watched you fight since I was just a baby, I know I'm no real match for you even in your weakened state." She walked up to him, kicking the bound Tsukauchi over as he was in the way. "My job isn't to beat you, All Might. These items aren't for fighting you." She pressed the remote to his head, very much the same way she had on I-Island with the pistol. As she pushed the next button, she imitated the sound of a gunshot, and on cue there was a massive explosion outside "I'm only here to keep you occupied, while the world outside crumbles."

All Might looked in horror as outside several buildings go up in explosive blue and red flames. Nomus flooded the streets, and the heroes that had been on standby were suddenly ambushed by the missing members of her league.

"Welcome to my class All Might…" Karma laughed down at him, her face twisted up in a pained and excited expression. "I call it Destruction 101. First lesson is fear…" She grabbed his chin forcing him to watch the horrific scenery outside "...get used to it."

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: Woot okay I have the permanent chills from watching Villain Deku videos in order to prep that final scene. I hope you enjoyed it. **

**Next Chapter: Resurrection **


	16. Resurrection

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 16: Resurrection**

"The door is not opening. Something's gone wrong… Jeanist come in." Sansa, Tsukauchi's partner, tried to reach the gathered heroes, but got only static. "No response, we don't have a choice, we'll have to leave it to All Might. Let's get these kids out of here!"

"What's going on?" Shoto asked as the paramedic bound his raw wrists with gauze and bandages.

"Nothing for you to mind. Both of you are safe now, but we've got a dangerous situation here." He looked to the paramedics. "I'll send two squads with you to escort you past the uproar. Steer clear of any villain activity, use backroads if you have to."

"Got it." The paramedic nodded and tried to usher Todoroki inside. He shoved him off.

"We're heroes in training, there must be some way we can help. This is our fault, let us take some of the responsibility."

"Absolutely nod," Sansa waved a finger at him, his cat ears twitching irritably. "You're to do as you're told and steer clear. Now get inside."

"You heard the feline, Icy Hot. Let's go." Bakugo nudged him towards the ambulance.

"Are you serious?" Shoto looked to his friend astonished. "You of all people wanna leave?"

"Look, you moron, I want to beat these ass holes as much as anyone, but we're in no condition to. We're only students, we don't have our licenses, and we'll just wind up getting in All Might's way. That guy doesn't need our help to take down Usagi." Bakugo grunted, looking as frustrated about the situation as Todoroki was.

"After everything she's done you're still underestimating her?" He cut a hand through the air, and the argument. "She killed my father, Bakugo… She killed the number two hero, and on accident! What do you think will happen when she actually has the intent?"

"I know full well what she's capable of, or did you forget she very nearly killed me?!" He sneered in response and grabbed Shoto by the front of his shirt. "Don't make me repeat myself, Todoroki, there's NOTHING we can do. Suck it up and let's go!"

He shoved him into the ambulance and climbed in himself, his head low and teeth grit.

"It's our fault All Might is in this position, because we were the idiots who were weak enough to get kidnapped. I'm not going to be the idiot that gets in his way."

**~Inside~**

Tears slipped down Izumi's cheeks one by one as she watched the destruction unfold outside. Despite the pain in her chest she casually sat on her throne, floating the remote over her palm in a calm and meditative state.

At her feet All Might and Detective Tsukauchi lay on the ground, completely bound by the quirk restraint tape, and forced to watch as well.

"You're crying, little Midori…" All Might spoke firmly wriggling some against his binds. "This can't be what you really want. Release us, let us help."

"You're right…" she murmured softly and lowered the remote back into her hands. Her eyes slowly shift down to him. "This isn't what I wanted. I didn't want to be a villain. I didn't want to kill people. I didn't want to become the Queen of Villains." She leaned forward in her chair, bracing her hands on her knees. "Do you know what I really wanted?" A smile slowly spread across her lips, one that was bitter and filled with animosity. "I wanted to be you."

She watched his expression flicker with emotion. Pain, guilt, sadness… it was both delicious and irritating to see.

"I wanted to be a hero who saved people, who always smiled…" She felt the smile on her face begin to waver and forced herself to keep it there. "I wanted to stand beside Kacchan as his equal… I wanted to be a genuine friend to my classmates. I'm none of those things." She glared at him, the tears and the sweat shining off a face completely overtaken with madness. "I tried. I tried to become a hero, I tried to show Kacchan I wasn't a stupid meek rabbit, I tried to make friends, tried to save my mother, tried to save Tomura… but I couldn't do any of it. I'm a fucking failure!"

"That's not true…" All Might said calmly and tried to smile at her. " You saved me when Shigaraki tried to kill me, you saved your classmates and young Kota after they were attacked. You sacrificed your reputation, your dreams, all to protect and nurture the people you care about. You're a hero, Little Midori, you've always been-."

"Shut up!" She snapped and covered her ears. "You and your ridiculous optimism. Wipe that stupid smile off your face! It's all a big lie isn't it?" She stood up and kicked him hard in the ribs. All Might spat up some blood as she got him right in his weak spot. "It's a lie you use to hide the fear. It's a lie you use to give false hope to those you try to save. You can't save me All Might! You can't save everyone! NOTHING is going to be okay anymore, not for me!"

She turned her back to him and began to pace. She ran fingers through her hair, shaking as she struggled between her personas and to keep her cool.

"I should have given up being a hero a long time ago when I saw that the entire industry of it was a big fat lie. I joined U.A because I began to understand that the true power heroes held over society wasn't the ability to stop villains, or to save people, but polarity. The more popular a hero is, the more they can influence mass opinion. With mass opinion you can change rules and laws, you can mold and shape the world as you like it. I thought if I could become the number one hero, if I could rise to that pinnacle I could make the world see its flaws and help change it. The problem was the longer I stayed in the hero spotlight...the more it made me realize I didn't belong there."

She stared down at her hands, opening and closing them with such a pained expression.

"My hands were stained with blood, I was lying to people I cared about, prioritizing popularity over helping others. I'd become a fake hero, doing exactly what I was preaching against. I hated it, I hated myself! So when I was outed as a villain, frankly I was relieved."

"You were relieved?" Tsukauchi, wheezing a bit from the tightness of his own bindings, stare with confusion.

"Yes… I'd felt so suffocated under society's thumb. Villainy was easier, more flexible. I could gain popularity in a different light, one I was more comfortable with and surrounded by people who shared my vision and goal." She clutched her hands over the remote staring back at the destruction outside. "...and it was working. I'd gained so much popularity that I was deemed the Queen of Villains. I was getting floods of requests to join the league, gaining support from underground channels who were preaching my philosophies, and getting respect and acknowledgement from peers. Everything was going according to plan…" tears slipped down her face. "...or so I thought. Tomura and the others approved of my vision… but even they didn't fully support my efforts. They don't think I can commit to being one of them, because I'm walking a middle ground, torn between my loyalties. I'm not the kind of hero I dreamed of, nor am I the ruthless villain the world sees me as. It's clear that I can't keep walking down the grey path and need to commit to one side, but my past actions and my heart just won't let me."

She hardened her gaze and grit her teeth. Just the thought of how she spent nearly an hour crying made her furious with herself.

"I'm losing sight of who I am, and what I should be. I can't go back and fix my mistakes, I can only push forward. It's time to make another statement. Time to prove I belong at the helm of the league. I need to commit a crime that is so ruthless that my dedication will never come into question again." She turned to All Might, the tears just extenuating the desperate plea on her face. "I originally planned to kill Shoto and Kacchan...but I couldn't find the will to. I don't kill just for the sake of it, that's not who I am. So instead I'm doing the worst possible thing someone can do when people are screaming for help… and that's absolutely nothing."

**~In the city~**

Toga as she shifted out of Mt. Lady's form.

"Infiltration was a success!" She giggled and slid her hand over Mt. Ladies uniform loving the soft and sleekness. All around them were knocked out heroes and police reinforcements. While Best Jeanist and Gang Orca had gone to the source of the explosion, Toga had shown her true colors, turning on the weaker heroes left behind and signaling Kurogiri for reinforcements.

"Nice work crazy…" Tomura congratulated and bound the last of the group up with the same quirk binding adhesive Karma used on All Might. "This ought to keep these nosy heroes out of Karma's way."

"What about Edge Shot, Best Jeanist and Gang Orca? They are ranked in the top 10 elite heroes and won't go down as easy." Magne pointed out.

"Dabi and Twice can handle those three on their own. If they give them trouble we've got Kurogiri on stand by."

"... Do you really think those two can handle three top tier pros? Twice has some skills other than his cloning, but Dabi doesn't have much combat skill without his quirk." Compress showed concern.

"Karma has faith in him…" Tomura scowled and stare out at the nearby burning building. "If he fucks up, then he has no business calling himself her knight."

**~Team Jeanist~**

"There's no one inside that I saw. It looks as if the police had already evacuated this area before the explosion went off." Edge Shot reported, the sprinklers and firefighters going to work on the building. I didn't see any sign of the villains."

"Could it have been a rigged explosion to distract us from the warehouse? Maybe we ought to go check in with All Might and Tsukauchi." Gang Orca suggested.

"That may be a good idea. Things have been radio silent for awhile, which is not normal." Jeanist tried using the radio the police gave him but only got static.

"Perhaps instead of worrying about All Might…" Dabi's voice called out catching them all off guard. They turn in the direction of it and see him jump out of the alley his hand thrust out and palm erupting with blue flame. "You should worry more about yourself!"

The entire front of the building erupted from the explosion of flame. Jeanist narrowly was able to drag himself, and the crew out of the way. Immediately after unleashing the flame, Dabi ducked away again, running into the dark.

"After him!" Jeanist called out, Edge shot immediately zipping after him. "Orca, keep your distance. You're weak against flame."

"I'll keep assisting the firefighters in getting the flames put out." He broke open a fire hydrant, filling his mouth with water and then spitting it out in a wide stream over the flame covered street.

Dabi ran quick, his trench whipping behind him in a blur of black and metal. The heavy sounds of his footsteps helping to guide Edgeshot in his direction. It didn't take long for him to find the source. Zipping through he reformed and pounced on top of Dabi sending him to the ground. Almost immediately after Jeanist used his quirk to bind Dabi by his clothes keeping him bound tight.

"Nice work, Edge. Now then, Villain. I don't suppose you'd like to tell us where the rest of your merry band is?" Jeanist hefted him up, suspending him by the clothes and pinning him to the wall. "I've got a reputation for being a nice guy… but I'm not against to forceful tactics in order to receive the right information."

"Heh, you heroes are all the same." Dabi laughed at the two. "Eraserhead had the same frame of mind back at the training camp, and look at how well that turned out."

"You're pretty mouthy for a guy who's been caught." Edgeshot warned and turned his hand razor thin. "If you're not gonna talk, I'd be happy to just knock you out and keep you out of our hair. I'm sure your friends will come out of hiding sooner or later.

"Do you really think it's that simple?" Dabi laughed. "You can do whatever you want to me, it's not gonna change what's happening."

"What do you mean?" Jeanist tightened the hold making Dabi grunt.

"I mean the damage is already done. Karma is finally on board with the rest of the crazies, but what makes her different is she's a hell of a lot smarter than them. She knows exactly what buttons to push to get society to listen. Hero society is being taken down by a sixteen year old girl, and I find that hysterical."

"I've got news for Karma…" Jeanist grit his teeth. "No matter what plan she's got cooking in that brain of her, the heroes will never bow before her."

"I wouldn't be so sure…" Dabi choked as his form melted into a muddy paste on the ground. Both Edgeshot and Jeanist look on wide eyed.

"The hell?"

"AUUUGH!" The painful sound of Gang Orca's voice erupted and the two heroes rush back only to see him on the ground, trying to roll and relieve the pain of being burned. Three Dabi's surrounded the hero and unleashed a tornado of powerful flames, torching the hero.

"GANG ORCA!" Edge Shot went thin and zipped through the air, piercing each copy til they turned to mush on the ground. Gang Orca lay unconscious on the ground, alive but shriveled from the intense heat.

"You heroes have no idea what's happening right now." More Dabi's flood the streets, all of them with hands poised to attack with palms glowing blue. "This night spells the end for you… The trust humanity has in their heroes will go up in flames." They all smile wickedly, eyes glowing from the flickering light of the fire. "...and I can't wait to watch it all burn."

**~Warehouse~**

Izumi saw the eruption of blue flame, and knew that the second sequence to her plan had been triggered. She let out a slow calming breath to ease the guilt and tightness in her chest.

"Well I think they've had enough fun…" Izumi murmured and she looked to her hostages. All Might shook as he tried to remain composed and calm while listening to the sounds around him. She'd never seen the man so broken and beaten down before. There was a slight thrill to having been the first since All for One to show him true humility… but it also reminded her that she'd grown up watching this man succeed at everything. She worshipped All Might like a god, had centered all her hopes and dreams on him and her ability to be just like this idol... but it had all been a lie. Her entire life had been one long disappointing fabrication of this man's ego, and she would not let today's youth be fooled by this facade anymore.

"This can't be easy... being forced to watch the destruction outside." She knelt down in front of All Might. "I can call all of them off right now, I can stop everything and keep more citizens from getting hurt… but whether or not I will is up to you." She pushed a button and the screens now showed various angles of them and even included sound. "The entire world is watching this stream All Might. If you tell the world the truth, if you show them your true form… then I'll pull back my crew and release you and the detective."

"Whatever for? The world knows my secret already." All Might started to protest trying to buy himself time, but Karma's glare pierced through him.

"Do they? I don't really think so. No one wants to believe the words of a villain. They need to see it with their own eyes. They need to be told the truth." She stood up again pressing her foot harder on his side making him groan in pain. "You've a time limit… I intend to keep you here until your time is up, and my crew is prepared to take on whatever reinforcements show up for as long as they can. No matter what you choose, the world will see your true form, but it depends on you just how many innocents suffer due to your pride and vanity."

All Might cursed under his breath trying to think of a way to break out of this… but the horrific sounds from outside broke down his walls. He looked to this girl, this once sweet faced and innocent girl who had been warped by his greatest enemy. He'd failed to protect her, failed to guide her down the right path because he'd been blinded by his own goals. He could still remember the day they first met: big bright green eyes so full of wonder and excitement. Long curly green hair mussed and framing a childish face. Her smile as big and bright as any star. He'd failed Izumi, a true fan and believer, and now her counterpart Karma was coming back to bite him.

He started to smoke...to let the form fade.

"You win… Karma."

**~Meanwhile~**

Broadcast munched chips with one hand as he kept record of every camera screen, making sure to display all the interesting and various angles to different channels. He flipped back and forth between the destruction and Karma's domain to keep the image interesting, but he kept Karma's voice as audio, punctuating her words with random shots to emphasize her points.

"Now this is entertainment…" he grinned and shoved another potato chip in his mouth. He paused momentarily as one screen in particular caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes on the form and sighed heavily.

"Damn just when it was getting good." He set the chips aside and signaled Karma's comlink. "Hey Boss…" he called her, making Karma grunt in annoyance. He could sense the tension and annoyance in her voice and had to hold in a shudder.

"What?" She snapped back testily pressing a finger to her ear. "This had better be good. I'm about to check the King."

"Yeah, about that… you've got company approaching the doors." He zoomed in on the figure, shrugging off a chill that went down his spine. "The police seem to be giving him a wide berth."

"Is it a hero?" She glared at the front door. That was just great. She was finally on the verge of victory, finally about to succeed in her plan, and someone decides to sneak in a few extra game pieces. "Dirty cheats."

"I don't think so. I've never seen a hero dressed like that. Frankly he's kinda giving me the creeps." Broadcast admitted.

"What?" Something shuddered through Izumi, a feeling of dread she couldn't quite shake. She narrowed her eyes on the door, feeling sweat drip at her temple. "Put him on screen."

"You're the boss, boss." Broadcast switched views. Karma jerked her head up as the screen flashed to the front door view. She took a careful scan of the person in question… and choked at what she saw. "No...impossible…" the tall black figure placed his hand on the door and she screamed into the comlink. "ABORT!"

All the villains stop their movements as Karma's voice pierced through the comlink. It was echoed by the massive sound of the warehouse being blown clean apart. The sonic boom ricocheted around and just obliterated anything in its path. Buildings crumbled, the ground shook, and the nearby police officers could only stare in absolute pale face shock after witnessing what had just happened.

From his overhead position Dabi stumbled and ran to the edge of the roof looking out towards the warehouse.

"What in the hell was that?" Twice shouted, crouched on all fours looking wide eyed.

"Something's gone wrong… did All Might escape?" Dabi placed a finger to his comlink. "Karma...Karma come in. What the hell happened? KARMA!"

Dabi's voice echoed in the receiver of Karma's comlink. As the dust and debris cleared, the intruder stepped forward, clapping his hands in a slow applause.

"Bravo, bravo, what a stunning performance Karma." The muffled voice spoke from behind the mask. "I used a great deal of power behind that attack, but you managed to not only save yourself but your hostages as well. As expected of a former hero."

Karma stare through the dust, panting and wheezing from how much energy she had to expend in order to build a big enough barrier to withstand that attack. Her face was ghostly pale and she looked up wide eyed and shaking at the man who approached her.

"This...can't be real. You're dead… you're supposed to be dead!"

"Saw to that personally didn't you my dear? I'm afraid you weren't quite successful. I'm alive..." All For One smiled behind his mask, looking to All Might as he laughed the following phrase. "...and I am here."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**DUN DUN DUN! He's back ladies and gentleman… but how did he survive? For what purpose is he here? Will he seek revenge on the student who betrayed him? All that and more in the next chapter!**_

_**Next Chapter: The Coup**_


	17. The Coup

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 17: The Coup**

Bakugo was quiet during the drive, tucked in the corner of the ambulance while Shoto sat on the gurney, both of them miserable. They could hear the driver muttering something over the radio, and the overhead siren echoed.

"We're almost out of the danger zone, boys." The paramedic in the back reassured giving each of them a gentle pat on the shoulder. "You'll be home soon."

There was a long moment of silence… then a small tremor had Bakugo's head jerked up. He immediately latched onto whatever he could.

"Todoroki!"

"What?" Shoto looked back and was thrown further back into the gurney as the vehicle swerved and was knocked around. Equipment rattled and shook off their secures and the Paramedic mimicked Bakugo, grabbing onto whatever he could. When the vehicle finally stopped, surprisingly still upright, the driver whipped open the peep hole and looked back.

"Is everyone alright?"

"I think so…" Paramedic looked to the boys who both nodded. "What the hell happened?"

"The road's completely blocked, you gotta come see this." He closed the panel, the paramedic opened the doors and immediately lost his breath at what he saw. The ripple effect of the sonic wave had caused a long line of buildings to just crumble on top of each other like dominoes. The street pavement was uprooted and cracked causing the vehicle to lean to the side a little.

"What in the…" Bakugo jumped out of the ambulance and stare down the long stretch of destruction. Shoto joined him, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Did Karma do this?"

"No, there's no way, she doesn't have the range for this. Who the fuck could have done this?"

**~The Warehouse~**

A nightmare… this had to be a nightmare. Either that or she was hallucinating. How the hell did this man survive? He'd been examined, and confirmed dead by paramedics and coroners, so HOW?

"You! Hands up!" Sansa and his men held up their guns ready to take down the assailant. All For One gave them one brief glance.

"Insects…" His arm bulked up, Karma gasped and shouted.

"FOOLS GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

A second sonic boom launched in their direction, screams of agony meshing with the overpowering sounds of crumbling concrete and broken glass.

Karma felt her throat go dry as she watched the display of power. She'd known her Sensei was powerful, had known he had a plethora of quirks at his disposal…. Yet seeing him use them in person… was deathly frightening.

"Now then…" He dusted his palms off before clasping them together. "Where was I? Oh yes… hello again."

"All for One…" All Might sneered his name in a raspy voice. "I knew it was too good to be true. I can't wait to hear how you escaped death once again."

"Twas a simple feat, All Might. A strategy I've had in play for emergencies such as treachery and deceit." All For One boasted and held out his arms. "I obtained a quirk that allowed me to present body doubles for both myself, and my associate, and let the events play out just as I predicted."

**Quirk: Body Double; Can use DNA samples to create doubles of himself and other people. Each double takes a large amount of stamina and material to make which makes it inconvenient for battle use. **

"Body doubles...Predicted?" Karma whispered and slowly got to her feet. "You KNEW I was going to kill you?"

"Yes. in fact I was counting on it my dear."

It made sickening sense. She'd gloated on how she'd caught the man off guard...but the truth was she'd found it too easy. He just happened to be off his game even though she'd never beaten him before, he hadn't noticed her slip the poison in his drink even though he had senses like a wolf. The doctor had been so easy to find when normally she'd rarely seen him. Stupid, She was so stupid to think he would have just left himself open against her animosity.

He stepped toward her, laughing a little as she took several cautious steps back.

"Don't be so shy, come give papa a hug." He flicked out his fingers and Karma gasped as the tips extended out snagging on her and dragging her forward and right to him. She fought, pulling against the hold, but it was no use. His arms came around her, holding her close and petting her hair as a doting father would. Karma could feel the leash latching around her neck, feel it tightening and making her lose breath… and she lashed out.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" She screamed at him and her quirk burst out like a quick explosion. All For One skidded back some, but remained upright and Karma brought up her fists ready to fight. "Body doubles? Predictions? Don't make me laugh! If you knew what was going to happen then why the hell didn't you just kill me!?"

"What kind of a father kills his own daughter?" All for One rationalized in a mocking tone. "Besides, I considered it a useful stepping stone. You were still far too meek, still too lost in the world of the heroes. I considered my death the catalyst for your eventual fall to villainy. You did not disappoint me, my girl."

Karma's brain raced. Panic and self doubt bubbled in her chest, making each breath she took painful. Her fingers clenched together, her eyes couldn't look away from the menacing mask on her Sensei's face.

"If all that's true then why are you here?" She mentally cursed when she heard the shake in her own voice. "If me committing to villainy is what you've wanted, then why did you stop my plan. Why did you attack us? TELL ME WHY YOU'RE HERE!"

All for One waited for her to finish her rant, enjoying the sounds of her ragged breath and obvious signs of panic. He was gonna enjoy ending her little game by making a complete fool of her, just as she did him.

Oh he had expected her to betray him… had expected her to lash out maybe lose control of her quirk and kill him.

...but for her to outwit him, even as a double, was infuriating. On top of that she had outwitted the heroes at UA, had conned her way onto I-Island solidifying her reputation in the villain underworld, and now had The Symbol of Peace begging for Mercy… an act he hadn't been able to accomplish himself.

No way was he going to allow her to steal credit for this. He would remind her just who held her leash, who had made her the villain she was today.

"Your plan was ingenious my dear… I can feel the hope fade, and despair sink in. I can sense the trust people have in their heroes begin to wane." He started and then lifted his hand up. "However…" he flicked his fingers out again latching onto Karma. This time she was ready for it, She pushed out her power, smacking the tips away and tangled her energy with them to keep them at a stand still. She dug her heels in deep, eyes going hard and teeth gritting.

"However..." She finished for him. "I didn't do everything you hoped I would do."

"Ah ha ha, there's that clever brain at work. Yes, your idea has great merit, but your final execution is lack luster. You intend to let The Symbol of Peace go after he reveals his weakness? You intend to just up and vanish creating an anticlimactic ending for the citizens to watch? It doesn't send enough of a message, it doesn't have the cold truth I know you're capable of showing."

"Don't pretty it up…" She snapped the hold, her energy whipping his grip away from her and she snagged a dagger from her thigh holding it up. "You just to kill him yourself, don't you? You want the Symbol of Peace dead!"

"As I've always wanted… that should come as no surprise to you." He shrugged. "I'm going to enjoy finishing what you started."

"LIKE HELL!" She screamed at him. "I killed you because I refused to be held down by your ideals and goals. You think you can just waltz back in as if you never left? You think you can tie your leash around my neck like you own me? This is MY plan… this is MY statement to the world. So do us both a favor, and go to hell!"

She pressed a switch on the coronet around her head. The small gem on her forehead glowing and she felt the effects of the item immediately. It was as if switches were going off in her brain, unlocking power she didn't know she had.

All for One watched with avid curiosity as Karma's quirk vibrated around her, pulsing and swirling with dangerous aura.

"Ah… I see you've taken the liberty of claiming David Shield's invention as your own. Do you really think it'll be enough to stand up to me?"

"Probably not…" She smiled feeling more aggression than fear now. Hell if she was gonna die, she was gonna go down with a fight. She whipped off her trench coat, her power up items activating with her quirk. "...but we're about to find out!"

"As you wish, Karma." He laughed and lifted his hands. "Come then, do your best to kill me a second time!"

"No! Little Midori!" All Might shouted at Karma as she leapt into action. He heard something fall to the ground and saw the remote landed next to her trench coat. He started to wriggle, inching his way towards it. He had to get free, he needed to get free and prevent All for One from killing Izumi. He grunted as his body and Tsukauchi were tossed back from a ricochet of power. The remote skidded with them, clattering around before falling into a crevice of debris and out of reach. "Kuso!"

Karma screamed with fury as she propelled herself forward. She channelled energy into her palms and punched out with the added power creating a rippling effect that met against All For One's fierce resistance.

Impressed, All For One took a much former stance. Perhaps he should take this fight seriously. If she could properly channel that energy radiating off her, he may very well have a challenge.

"You've grown so much…" All for One said with a mock sigh of nostalgia. "You're not that timid little rabbit anymore are you, Izumi Midoriya?" He clamped his hands over her fists whipping her around and into the side of the building next door. "... but you're still wet behind the ears."

Karma burst out of the building, her head bleeding and skin scraped up, but the ferocity in her movements still in tact. She sent two blades flying at him, one scraping over his bicep, the other he caught nimbly with his fingers. She'd hoped for an opening, but immediately saw her diversion had failed. She tried to put on the breaks, to back away and keep a distance, but he unleashed his extended fingers snagging her by the waist and sent her diving into the pavement.

She coughed up saliva as the hit knocked her insides around. She didn't have time to even catch her breath before he was scraping her across the ground and flinging her like a rag doll.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it! Think Karma! At this rate you're gonna die before you even get a clean hit._

"What's the matter, Karma? You're a much better fighter than this." He tossed her up then slammed his fist in her gut knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying upward.

"You've all this extra power, and yet you refuse to use it? Why?" He watched her drop like a stone. As she struggled to get up he eyed the nearby police civilians still pulling themselves from the rubble. "Ah… I see… you still have a case of Hero Syndrome don't you?" All For One took aim, his arm bulking up. "Allow me to remove the obstacles."

"STOP!" Karma brought her whip out, a quick flick making it coil around his arm. She yanked it down so that it launched them both like a rocket. Now with the proper leverage she pulled him toward her, and finally landed a solid hit, kicking him in the face. "This is between you and me old man, so leave them out of this!"

"You're the one who brought them into this." He snagged her wrist cracking the arm between his fingers. Karna screamed in pain and proceeded to kick and wriggle trying to get free. "This elaborate plan to change the world is nothing but a show of your power. Your weak," he flicked his finger a small shockwave pulsing and snapping her shoulder back. Karma grit her teeth determined not to scream. "Limited," he did it again, the shoulder jerking back and popping out of its socket. He smiled with glee watching her face contort from the pain. "power."

"All Might…" Tsukauchi grunted as he worm crawled to his friend. "We have to get free, she won't be able to last against him."

"I know. I know it…" All Might wheezed some as he fidgeted, his large hands trying to reach under the rock but couldn't. "I can't reach it. Damn it! Damn it come on, All Might!"

Despite her singing shoulder, Karma kept the grip on her weapon firm. She pulsed her energy through the whip, its thorns cutting through All For One's arm. The limb spewed out blood and All for One let out his first grunt of frustration when he felt the sting of the hit.

He flung her up, his body levitating mid air. He looked down at the blood, annoyed that she'd drawn blood.

"Impressive, most impressive. I've underestimated you my dear." He looked up at her, her energy barely keeping her a float as it flickered and waved erratically. "That determination of yours deserves a gift...let's see if you appreciate it." He rubbed his fingers together creating friction and fire suddenly formed in his palm.

All Might jerked his head back when he heard Karma scream in pure agony. He saw her fall from the sky creating a small crater on the ground. She wriggled in pain and agony the fire he'd unleashed from his palm having singed her head to toe.

"You remember that quirk don't you Karma?" All for One floated above her. "The day you got your name, you wanted to punish the man responsible for killing your mother. You asked me to remove his fire quirk, and then proceeded to torture him mercilessly."

**Quirk: Static Fire; can create balls of fire ranging in size depending on the amount of friction created.**

Karma shuddered and struggled to get up, her energy depleting even faster after using David's invention. She powered down her quirk, trying to catch her breath and think while letting All for One talk. He must have seen her guard drop, because he floated down, standing intimidatingly over her.

"I was so proud of you that day. I could see the true potential you had as a villain." His voice held such pride and yet she could tell he was mocking her. "If only your love of All Might and doing the right thing wouldn't stand in the way of your growth. You have different goals than the rest of us. On top of that you enjoy being in charge, feeling empowered… I knew one day you would turn on me, attempt to take my place and I was right."

_I just didn't think…_ he thought bitterly to himself…_ that you'd be so good at it._

Karma slowly lifted her head, her hands flexing and then curled into fists as the inevitability of her demise became clear.

"So why keep me around?"

"Because of this…" he crouched down and tapped the middle of her forehead, slowly increasing pressure making her grunt and wince in pain. "You reminded me so much of my younger self… always thinking, always planning, and I didn't want to waste it. Shigaraki is to be my successor, but he's not much of a thinker. When he showed great interest in you I knew I had to keep you around to help make an example for him." He grabbed her up by the hair so her face was better displayed. "You've done wonders with Shigaraki, my dear. You did everything I expected… and everything I feared."

She could hear the animosity in his voice grow. Could hear the anger starting to build as All For One lost his cool. She wheezed out a breath from the screaming pain in her skull. Her entire body sung with pain, but she didn't have the energy or the strength to pull herself free.

"Just as he started thinking on his own, making decisions for himself… you interfered with your lackluster morals. You interfered with our plans to attack U.A, you interfered with Shigaraki's plan to kill your classmates, and now you're robbing him of his soul wish, the demise of the Symbol of Peace. I wish you hadn't done such a selfish and foolish thing, or I wouldn't have been forced to intervene."

"Little Midori!" All Might wriggled more forcefully now trying to break his bindings. "Let her go!"

"All Might… aren't you being a bit rude?" He hoisted Karma up higher, as if to put her up on display. She let out a short scream as the pain to her temple forced her up to her feet and she dangled on her toes. "I'm scolding my daughter for misbehaving. Stop interfering."

Karma's eyes went wide knowing All for One was on the edge. She covered his hand in her quirk jerking it upright so his next attack missed and broke apart more rubble and debris.

"You're full of shit…" She struggled to stand. Stumbling forward a few steps she took her place in front of All Might, glaring up at him with sharp green eyes. "Why don't you just say you're gonna kill me, instead of making it sound like a twisted punishment? "

"I have no intention of killing you my dear…" he reached out, smiling wickedly behind his mask when her eyes showed fear mixed with the hate. He brushed his knuckles along her cheek. "Whether you like it or not, you're my kin. I took you in, raised you as my own. I gave you everything you have. Your power, your training, the money you used to fund the start of your little gang… but then you had to go and ruin it all didn't you?"

"You're the one ruining it, you're supposed to be dead. I'm not going to be leashed down by you again, old man! This is MY league." Karma screamed at him, her voice pitching higher when he slapped her across the face and sent her skidding back across the pavement.

"Foolish child...It was never meant to be yours!" He shifted his hands a little, a few seconds passing before black gooey puddles formed and spat out the members of her league.

"BLEGH! What the hell was that!?" Spinner choked and gagged.

"Ugh I feel sick." Toga agreed holding her mouth and nose.

"THAT REEKS!" Twice shouted then made a sweet face. "Smells so sweet."

"Master…" Tomura spoke suddenly catching everyone's attention. The young man went to his knees staring in disbelief. "You're alive."

"I am…" He stepped towards his protege. "I'm grateful I got here in time. I've come to help you, Shigaraki, as I always have."

"Help, my ass…" Karma grunted struggling to stand but collapsed back down to the ground.

"Karma!" Dabi ran toward her kneeling down and hooking his arm around her waist. "Are you the one who did this to her?" Dabi yelled accusingly at All for One.

"I did… my daughter needed to be punished for her bad behavior." All for one spoke truthfully, sparing Dabi a single backward glance. Dabi's temper flared as the image of his father slapping his mother and Shoto around cane to memory.

"Why you son of a-"

"Dabi!" Karma gripped his shirt and looked up at him. "Don't… don't aggravate him. He's too strong. He'll just kill you."

"I don't understand, Master…" Tomura stood up on shaky legs. "What happened? Why did you make us believe you were-"

"I did it for your benefit, my boy." He ignored Karma's scoff and stepped towards Tomura. "I knew Karma would help you grow, and I was right. You've become so strong, thinking ahead, carefully planning, and valuing your comrades… but it's time for you to step out of her shadow."

"What do you mean?" Tomura narrowed his eyes. "We're a team, I'm not in her shadow."

"Are you sure about that? I think the world sees Karma as the leader of the League… but she's not is she? You are the King, you hold the power and yet Karma has been keeping you from reaching your full potential." He pointed at Karma accusingly.

"Karma…" Tomura spoke low and deadly. "You want to explain what he's talking about?"

"I've nothing to explain…" She grit her teeth. "Because he's lying to you. He's always lying to you, trying to control you."

"I'm a bit confused, what exactly is going on here?" Twice scratched his temple.

"It would appear that the role of leadership has been put into question. Though I really don't think now is the best time for such a discussion." Compress explained and took a wary glance around for any lingering heroes.

"I thought both Tomura and Queeny were our leaders. They're a team aren't they?" Toga pointed out pressing her fingers together and making kissing sounds.

"That's the way it was, or so we thought…" Compress continued. "It would appear our new guest is questioning Karma's loyalty and leadership skills, and believes Tomura should be the undisputed leader. As it was always intended."

"Well deduced, Mr. Compress." All for One clapped. "Karma was meant to be merely a tool for Tomura to train with...but she didn't care for that role. Instead she killed me, took on the brains and finances of the league, and made it into her own personal pet project."

"You…" Karma tried to stand but fell back down into Dabi's arms.

"Easy Karma…" he murmured and jerked his head up. "I don't buy what you're selling you creep. Why should any of us trust you?"

"I don't expect you to, Dabi, as your loyalties clearly lie with her. Whatever fate Tomura decides for her, you will share it."

"What Tomura decides?" Karma questioned and laughed. "That's a load of shit."

"I'm not here to seize control. I've come to terms that my reign is over. I just don't want there to be any debate on who i've chosen as my successor." He held his hand out to Tomura. "Well, my boy, what is your decision?"

Tomura looked between him and Karma, his head a muddled mess of emotions and thoughts. He replayed his fight with Karma over and over, trying to find reasonable doubt in what his master said was true. Tomura stood up locking eyes with his Queen. He saw her, in the arms of another man, looking fierce and angry.

"_Do you really think it's been you pulling the strings of this organization?" _

"_I thought you were stepping up and living up to your title... but now I see that I was a fool for trusting you with anything!" _

"_I can't believe I was stupid enough to fall for you!" _

He scratched at his neck, and held his chest as it ached and throbbed with the thought of betrayal. He bristled when Dabi started tucking her behind him, a knight protecting his queen. This was all his fault. There would be no debate, no doubt if he and those brats from UA weren't in the picture.

The scratching stopped, the irritation stopped, and Tomura relaxed and breathed again. His hand lowered at his side. That was the whole point wasn't it? He didn't really care if Karma was seen as the leader, because she'd proven herself capable. The real problem was that she didn't see HIM as capable. She didn't see him as someone who could take charge, because of his jealousy.

"I don't care if she wants the league, I don't care if she wants to claim she's the leader." He spoke, finding his calm again. "She's more than proven capable of ruling at my side, but I've yet to show my dedication to her."

"Tomura…" Karma smiled at him, tears forming.

"Karma, I love you."

The tears fell and she stood up shakily and walked past All for One and straight into his arms. She felt Tomura hold her, laying his cheek on her hair.

"I love you, I love you so much, my king." She clung onto him, so happy that he accepted her, that he chose her over Sensei.

"I know… it's going to be okay." He kissed her temple then eyed Dabi over her shoulder. His arms enclosed tightly around her, intimately, possessively. "Sensei… kill him."

"What?" Karma's eyes popped open and she struggled to get free. Dabi's breath caught and he already started backing up. "Tomura no!"

"As you wish…" All for One laughed and gave a little bow before turning towards his prey. "King Tomura."

"NO! Tomura please make him stop! Please don't do this! DABI!" Karma screamed, fighting off Tomura's possessive hold and her hand stretched out trying to stop what was about to happen. "TOUYA!"

_**~Ask Briry~**_

…

_**Next Chapter: And so ends her reign. **_


	18. And So Her Reign Ends

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 18: And So Her Reign Ends**

"TOUYA!"

Dabi heard Karma scream his name, and everything else around him disappeared. He couldn't see All for One, couldn't see the massive ball of fire All for One formed in his hand. All he could see was her... and wondered why the thing that hurt him most was seeing that pained expression on her face.

"Izumi…"

**~Several Months Prior~**

"You were contacted by the League of Villains?" Dabi raised a brow at Giran as the two of them shared a drink. He'd heard about this guy's reputation, and sought him out in order to find others like himself. He didn't care for people in general, but being a villain required allies. In order to find the right sort of people to coincide with he sought help from a professional. "That's the group that attacked U.A. High School in order to kill All Might, isn't it? From what I hear they're just a rowdy group of losers looking to stir up trouble."

"That's the old league. They've recently had a change in power and in turn their goals have changed." He handed Dabi a card. "I've already got one kid biting, but they're looking to expand their ranks much wider. You've a powerful quirk, and a good head c on your shoulders. I think you should come with me, and hear what they have to say. It could be a worthwhile investment."

"Tch…" Dabi stare at the card, flipping it over this way and that. He burned the edge a little, tempted to waste it… but then remembered why he'd sought this guy out. "Fine… I'll take your advice… but I don't see how these fools could have changed in only a few weeks."

_I almost walked away from all of it. Almost went in a completely different direction. How different would my life have been if I hadn't met her? _

Shigaraki Tomura hadn't impressed him at all. Neither had the crazy tart who bounced around like a kid waving a knife. He sat in that plush apartment wondering what the hell he was doing associating himself with these losers.

...and then she walked in, and his opinion shifted.

She wasn't much to look at first glance, but the way she talked, worked the room, and smoothed down the tense atmosphere was impressive. He liked her moxy and spirit but he swasn't quite convinced that she and her league suited him.

"If you're going to partner with Stain then I've no objections about joining… but I'm warning you now I'm not a team player. I looked after myself, I always have."

_That's right, ever since I ran away from home I've always looked after myself. I didn't need friends, I didn't want friends, but I got both, and something extra I hadn't been looking for at all._

"Thanks for the warning…" Karma playfully responded. He saw the smile hinting in the eyes behind her mask, and his impression of her grew more intrigued.

How was it that a kid could become a master puppeteer? She tied her invisible strings around Toga, lulling the girl in with the kind of friendship that border lined on insane… and yet she made it look endearing and genuine. She had those same strings wrapped all around Tomura and the rest of her crew… bringing the supposed big bad villains crawling to their knees.

Who was this girl?

He caught himself hanging on her every word, reading her every movement, and wondered just what sort of secrets lay behind the mask. That mix of innocence and seduction had him eager to touch, eager to peel away the layers of bravado and find the truth.

After the meeting had been adjourned he spent the next hour researching. It didn't take long for him to figure out that the woman in question was none other than Izumi Midoriya, aspiring hero, U.A. alumni, and the winner of the Sports Festival.

She'd beaten out his little brother in the finals, had shown impressive displays of strategy and power, and drive. Before joining U.A. her mother had died in a horrific fire and she was taken in by a rich tycoon who apparently had been tutoring her. Only a few short months later that tycoon died, and she filed for emancipation. Ever since then she'd used her inherited wealth to donate to charities and fund her former mentor's companies. Now she was the head of the league of villains.

"Busy little bee...you just get more fascinating by the minute." He murmured to himself staring at her picture on screen. In the paper they painted her

as a young and ambitious woman. She looked sweet and innocent to the average joe, but Dabi could see the facade. This double life she was living only intrigued him further…and the fact that his baby brother seemed to have a thing for her was just icing on the cake.

He'd planned to just ruffle her feathers a little… get under her skin and peel away that faux confidence she strutted around in… but he'd lost himself the moment she'd walked out of the bathroom. Dripping wet, scantily clad, and every mask completely peeled off, he saw the real woman under it all. He saw the innocence, saw the fierceness, saw the determination, the fear, the panic. In her eyes he could visually see that stunning brain working through so many scenarios, asking so many questions, and plotting her next course of action. It stirred him up, and suddenly he couldn't hold back the urges inside.

"What do you want, Dabi?"

He could have said a million different things. He could have told her he wanted to talk, a drink, a damn cigarette… but the answer that came out of him, was the truth.

"You…"

**~End of Flashback~**

_From the moment we met I knew you affected me in someway. I knew something had changed, I knew that you were different than anyone else I'd ever met… but it wasn't until I had you in my arms, that I realized I never wanted to let go. I said I wasn't going to let you wrap me around your finger… but I failed to notice you take hold of my heart. _

_Is this how it ends for us, Karma? Am I gonna die without knowing how you truly feel about me? Is the last thing I'm gonna see is you crying in Shigaraki's arms? _

"To hell with that…" Dabi sneered and raised his hand, literally fighting fire with fire as his own blast pushed up against All for One's and negated it. Smoke rose and embers sizzled on the ground adding a chalky scent to the air. Dabi's blue eyes seemed to glow through them, and he spoke directly to Shigaraki "I'm not gonna die because of your petty jealousy! You wanna fight, then let's do it, but don't make this creep do all your work for you!"

He gave Shigaraki a come hither motion with his hands. Tomura sneered and he started to shove Izumi behind him but she shoved him back running to Dabi and holding her arms out to protect him.

"Stop it, Tomura! Stop it right now! Don't you dare kill him!" Shr warned, struggling to remain standing.

"Get out of my way, Karma. This is all your doing." Shigraki stepped forward holding his hand out. "You want me to take charge, you want me to make decisions? Well this is the decision I've made. It's clear to me you trust him far more than you trust me, and I don't accept being second place to anyone. I'm removing him from the picture, just like I'll remove those U.A. brats you insist on keeping alive!"

"Izumi." Dabi warned cracking his knuckles as he prepared for a fight. "This isn't the same as your scuffle in the woods. He's not gonna listen to anyone but himself."

"Please…" She continued to plea, ignoring Dabi's advice. "Please Tomura, I get that you're trying to make a point but I won't let you hurt him." She looked to her king, her lover, the tears streaming down her face. "I NEED him in my life, Tomura. I need Dabi by my side or I'm no good to you. Dabi he-" her voice cracked a little as her emotions came to the surface. "He's not just my knight, he's my confidant. He keeps me focused, keeps me strong. Please, I need him!"

"You love him." All for One corrected her and Izumi's breath audibly hitched. "You claim to love Tomura, but I think it's clear to everyone here who your heart truly belongs to."

"No…" she whispered it, almost as if trying to convince herself it wasn't real. "No that's not what I-"

"Stop lying to yourself Karma, you're only going to make this worse." All for One sighed and looked to Tomura who was shaking with absolute fury. "How do you want to handle this betrayal, Your Majesty?"

"Karma is mine…" he seethed and looked to his sensei. "Make her mine! I don't care if you have to break her, I don't care if you have to rip that zombie to pieces! KARMA IS MINE!"

"Tomura!" Izumi plea but Shigaraki refused to listen.

"Very well… I believe I have a solution to this." All for One held out both his hands. Dabi wasted no time. He snagged Izumi by the hand.

"RUN!" He blast out a stream of fire trying to cover their escape. They made a break for the opening in the debris, hoping to cut into the tight alleyway and avoid the next oncoming attack. He couldn't run fast enough, couldn't get Karma away fast enough. He felt a stab in his back, heard Karma grunt as she two was caught and both fell to the ground.

All for one dragged them back by his extended fingers and then repositioned his grip so they latched onto their temples.

"You say you need Dabi in your life, Karma. Yet you wanna remain useful to the king you've devoted yourself to. I know the perfect way to satisfy his needs and yours. I will make you and this man closer than you've ever been."

"What are you planning? What are you…" she trailed off as Dabi started to scream in agony. Her eyes went wide and fresh tears poured out as she saw the familiar glow emulate around him. "Dabi! Why are you taking his quirk!?"

"Do not to worry my dear. I'm putting his quirk to good use." He focused on her now and Izumi felt the familiar sting and pounding in her brain. "The quirk combination I've planned for you will make you the ultimate weapon for Tomura. It's just a shame it'll break that beautiful mind of yours… but at least you've completed its purpose."

"Hey is this really okay, Tomura?" Toga poked her fingers together looking at him and then other league members who just watched what was happening.

"Yeah, Karma is one of us, isn't she?" Twice agreed looking conflicted as well. "Why are we just letting this creep hurt her?"

"Wake up, fools" Magne threw a hand out towards All for One. "Karma's strong enough to take on a guy like Muscular, but this guy has been tossing her around like a rag doll. Not to mention he just stole Dabi's quirk and blew apart the city without so much as a sweat. I don't know about you, but I'm not standing in his way."

"Magne is right…" Spinner spoke boldly but with tears in his eyes. "As much as I respect and admire her our Queen has fallen, and the power has shifted to our King. We must obey the rules of the game, and remain under his command."

Karma screamed as the pain intensified. Her body jerked on the ground as if electrocuted as Dabi's quirk was shoved into her. There was such intense heat, she felt as if her bones were melting.

_Damn it...damn it… he's trying to force me into submission! Break me? Break my mind? God damn it! Tomura, you idiot! You stupid, selfish idiot! He's gonna turn me into a fucking Nomu! _

"No...no...I won't let you use me like that… I'd rather die!" Second by second she could feel herself slipping into the dark, but she fought against it. Her eyes lifted up, and the first thing she saw was Dabi lying unconscious on the ground. She grit her teeth. He was alive, but he wouldn't be for long if she gave in. Her vision turned hazy and it became hard to focus. She tried so hard to think, to ignore the pain and find a solution. Her mind had to survive! She needed to think! She needed to save Dabi!

"KUSO!" She heard All Might curse and her eyes shifted to him. She saw him trying to shove his bound hands under a rock and wondered what he was trying to do.

...and then it clicked.

"All Might…" she wheezed and grit her teeth as she stretched her hand out trying to focus her quirk. "You may be weaker than before…" she spoke hoarsely. "... but you're my last hope. Prove me wrong. Be my hero, again!" The last few dregs of it sparked to life. The rock All Might struggled against lifted up allowing his hands to slide under and grab a hold of the remote. "Save him!""

"I got it!" He pushed the button the tape unwinding and setting him and Tsukauchi free. Karma collapsed on the ground and All Might jumped to his feet bunching up his fists.

"Texas...SMASH!"

The wind blast everyone back, knocking All for One and the League off their feet. All Might snagged Dabi and Karma out of the air in a flash and returned beside her friend to square against the villains. He set Dabi down beside Tsukauchi who was still catching his breath, but he took the time to look down at Karma who lay still in his arms.

"Little Midori…" He spoke with some dread, but relaxed as he watched the slow breath rising in her chest."Unconscious…but alive."

"_Be my hero, again!" _

" I've failed you more times than I care to count little one. You lost all faith in me and in heroes due to those failures." He hugged her to him, comforting himself with the sound of her breath. "...and yet you chose to set me free, knowing it was your friend's best chance at survival. I promise you, I will not waste this chance you've given me. I will not fail this time."

He set her down beside Dabi the two laying as a pair.

"I will make you pay for what youve done to my student All for One."

"Your student?" All for One laughed. "She calls me Sensei. I taught her everything."

"Not everything… this girl has some decency left in her. She knows the value of a person's life where you don't. I won't make the same mistakes I made five years ago. I'm going to make sure you're locked up for good, along with your despicable league of villains!" All Might launched forward and directly at All for One.

The tall and proud man held out his hand, the power bulking up his arm and springing All Might back like a Yoyo and hurdling him into the wide stretch of building debris.

"All Might!" Tsukauchi called out to his friend and gave a wary glance to the others. With Karma and Dabi unconscious, and his men laying wounded or dead on the ground, he faced the group of villains alone.

"It would seem we've reached the end of the game. That won't stall the hero for long." All for One glanced back. "Kurogiri, warp everyone to these coordinates." He phased a piece of paper into Kurogiri's hands. "The doctor will be waiting for you all."

"What about you, Master?" Tomura looked up at his teacher.

"I will hold All Might off. I've given you what you wanted, Tomura. Collect your prize," he motioned to the unconscious Karma. "The doctor will know what to do with her. You'll finally have a queen that is strong and 100% devoted to you."

Tomura eyed Karma, his emotions twisted inside as he walked towards her. This… is what he wanted? This is what he asked for?

"Karma…" he held his hand out towards her.

...and jumped back as a mountain of ice blocked his path.

"Get the hell away from her you sick bastard!" Bakugoi screamed, Todoroki standing beside him seething and both seeing red from what they'd just witnessed. After seeing the destruction they'd ignored the paramedics and rushed back into the city to help.

"YOU!" Tomura turned towards them. "Why do you two always have to show up and ruin everything!?"

"We're not the ones who just ordered to have his own people killed!" Todoroki retorted. They'd seen almost everything, from Karma being tossed around like a rag doll, to All for One's monologue, and finally Karma's final stand to protect her friend against her lover. "What kind of a leader doesn't value the people on his team? What kind of a man doesn't trust the woman he claims to love?"

"A sad and pathetic one!" Bakugo finished with a smirk and let his quirk pop in his hands.

"You cocky little kid… Master!" He jerked a finger at the two. "Kill them!"

Bakugo and Todoroki crouched into a readied position. They were ready to take a stand, to fight with everything they had.

All Might came crashing through the buildings and back into the fray. He shook off the dust and debris looking to his two students.

"You two shouldn't be here. Take cover now."

"We came to help," Todoroki tried to explain, but Bakugo placed a hand on his shoulder.

"He's right… let's get Karma and the extras out of here so All Might can show these bastards what a true hero can do." Bakugo leapt off the opposite side of the ice wall and hauled Karma onto his back. "Oi, detective, can you walk?"

"I'm fine, Bakugo." Tsukauchi nods and helps Todoroki haul up Dabi. "Let's get these two out of here."

"They're getting away! KARMA!" Shigaraki started to run forward but felt a pull against his back. He glanced and saw Magne using her quirk to pull everyone towards him and Kurogiri.

"Leave the girl! All Might is too powerful, plus I hear sirens! More heroes are on their way! We gotta get out of here!"

"Magne is right, Shigaraki." Kurogiri insisted and opened himself wider to encompass the group.

"No! Karma! Master! Master!" Shigaraki reached out his hand towards All for One.

"It's your time now, Tomura Shigaraki…" All for One called out to him even as he pushed against All Might's power. "Make it count."

"MASTER!" Tomura screamed while being pulled into the warp. As the dark closed around him he felt the filth and cruelty of the world suffocating him. His master was still injured, he could very well lose against All Might and the other heroes. He lost Karma, the one person who could possibly comfort him in this stressful moment.

What had he done? What the fuck had he done?

"No… not alone… I can't do it alone." He curled into a ball and let the madness of his emotions run wild. "KARMA!"

**~Some time later~**

"_The City of Mustafu is still recovering from the massive villain strike that happened only a few days ago. Many citizens were either killed or injured, and even several pro heroes were put out of commission." _

A stone faced woman and her male co-host stare into the camera at the audience as they gave the highlights from the battle that shook the whole world.

"_Despite the tragedy of all that The Symbol of Peace stood tall once again facing down the threat. Despite a massive amount of power loss, All Might came out on top and reminded everyone who the number one hero in the world is."_

The male tapped his papers on the desk and brought the grim atmosphere up by smiling.

"_That's right, Kara. Thanks to him the most powerful villain group has lost key members. The mysterious powerhouse known as "All for One" is now safely behind bars and two others were captured after being incapacitated by their own crew. Karma, also known as The Queen of Villains, and her right hand man Dabi, suffered tremendous injuries against their power struggle with All for One. Both are now under hefty security at a discreet medical facility by local police and All Might himself. We will bring your more information after the break." _

Bakugo snapped the TV off lounging back in his hospital bed and staring up at the ceiling. Todoroki sat on the bed beside him, flexing his hands in and out and admiring the bruises and welts on his wrists.

"Did we do the right thing?" Todoroki wondered aloud.

"Of course we did… don't be stupid." Bakugo sneered but turned his face away to hide the pained expression. "Karma's a villain… doesn't matter if she's hurt and doesn't have a league now. It was always meant to end like this."

"Then why do I feel so terrible?" Shoto covered his face. "Why do I feel like I'm the one that betrayed her?"

"Well you're not… the one who betrayed her was that Shigaraki ass hole. If he hadn't gone off the deep end Karma wouldn't be in this mess to begin with." Bakugo rolled onto his side.

"I guess you're right…" Todoroki clenched his teeth as the tears spilled out. He couldn't get the image of Izumi's final pleading look and limp body out of his head. "I just wish there was some way we could help her."

**~In another room~**

"What's the status?" Tsukauchi stood beside a shrunken All Might as they got word from the doctor on his patients recovery.

"Whatever All for One did to them seemed to upset their mental stability."The tall sandy blonde informed him as he ran through Dabi's chart. "Dabi wasn't too physically injured, and is showing great progress. He's regained consciousness and little by little is recalling details from the night before. Karma on the other hand is a different story. She sustained serious injuries that will take time to heal. On top of that she hasn't woken up once since you brought her in."

"She's in a coma?" All Might questioned looking distraught.

"Yes, but I doubt it's a permanent one. Take a look at these readings." He lifted up a long stretch of paper that looked like someone tried to scribble the entire page black.

"Are those her brain waves?" Tsukauchi leaned in close for a better look.

"Yes...normally in a coma the waves have a steady motion and stay relatively within stages two and three of sleep with only the occasional burst of activity usually triggered by someone speaking, or other familiar sounds. Karma's wavelengths though… are jumping in and out of REM, almost like they're fighting for consciousness. There's some major activity going on in her brain." He tapped his temple.

"Yes well," All Might let the smallest of smiles appear on his lips. "She's always been one to use her head in times of crisis."

"Considering the amount of damage she's taken I would have liked to run some more in depth tests to make sure there's no damage, but with these readings I'm worried she may wake up in the middle of the procedure. It may be better for everyone if we just wait out the comatose state."

"I see…" Tsukauchi put his notebook away and scratched his temple. "Dabi is a good start in terms of witnesses. If he's willing to talk he may have a lot of information we can use, but Karma would be better. She was their financial backer, and tactician, she'd have almost all the ins and outs of the League including the most likely places they'd go to hide out."

"Well when she wakes I'll be sure to inform you, detective. She's a fighter, a strong one, I doubt injuries and loss of stamina will keep this girl grounded for long."

"Thank you for your time, doctor." Tsukauchi tipped his hat and pat All Might on the shoulder. "Let's go get a coffee."

"Ah… good idea." He agreed and gave a heavy sigh. "While we're at it, I want to go over my speech with you."

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Tsukauchi said looking sad. "Are you sure you want to retire after everything that's happened?"

"Yes, I can't sustain my form anymore. I used all I had left to take down All for One. It's time for the next generation to suit up and take my place." He looked at his hands and then gripped them into fists. "Young Mirio is nearly ready… He's so strong and full of light and hope. Now that my image has faded, it's his turn to shine."

"He's interning with your former sidekick isn't he?"

"Yes, Nighteye has done a good job with him." All Might hung his head sighing. "I should go see him and thank him for taking Mirio on… but I'm a bit ashamed for him to see this form. I've ended up exactly where he warned me I would go."

"Don't beat yourself up too hard, All Might." Tsukauchi bumped his fist against his shoulder. "You did good out there. You did heroes proud."

"Perhaps…" He sighed heavily thinking of Karma's plea and wavering trust. "I just hope it was enough."

**~In Karma's Room~**

One of the nurses walked into Karma's room setting a bouquet of flowers, a balloon and a teddy bear. She smiled at the cute designs and placed them beside Karma's bed.

"Guess even villains have secret admirers." She pet her hair sighing. "Such a terrible thing to happen to you. Hopefully when you wake up they'll get you some real help." She pat her cheek and walked out. The room went dead quiet, the only sounds being the heart monitor and the random beeps from the brain wave machine. The small Teddy Bear started to shift and move, it's head turning towards Karma, and big black eyes staring intensely.

"Found you… Queen of Villains."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: I suddenly got mad Chucky vibes… probably from the upcoming holiday. HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!**_

_**Next Chapter: The Black Phoenix Arises**_


	19. The Black Phoenix Awakens

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 19: The Black Phoenix Awakens**

Kota peeked his head around the corner watching the doctor and Tsukauchi leave Dabi's room. He had gotten tired of being cooped up in his room and snuck off when Mandalay finally drifted to sleep. During his wandering he'd seen the detective and had decided to follow him out of curiosity.

"Well back to square one." Tsukauchi sighed heavily. "That man sure is familiar with police protocol. All the usual tactics had no effect whatsoever."

"He would have worked with you had you granted him permission to see Karma." The doctor pointed out. "It was his only stipulation and not an unreasonable one. "In fact, considering how close they are he could very well be the key to waking her up."

"Karma?" Kota whispered then his eyes widened. "Izumi."

"it's their closeness that worries me. They may have helped us but Karma and Dabi are dangerous when working together. It was their teamwork that pulled off the I-Island heist. If I grant him permission and she woke up there's a possibility the two could devise an escape route with little more than eye contact. I'm not taking the chance that either could escape."

"I suppose you have a point. When do you plan on moving him to lockup?"

"If he's got medical clearance I want him moved first thing tomorrow. I'd prefer today but I don't quite have the manpower for it." Tsukauchi nodded to the guard and continued to walk with the doctor. "Tomorrow I can brief my team and get a more solid guard on duty. For now they can stay here, I'll get a few heroes to remain on site for emergencies."

Kota watched them walk away, listening to everything that was being said. He thought long and hard for a moment, devising his strategy like Izumi had taught him before taking action. He innocently approached Dabi's door and tugged on the police guard's jacket. "Hey mister…"

"Hmmm?" He bent over flipping his hat out of his eyes. "You lost or something Kiddo?"

Kota took a winding swing and punched the guard full force in the balls. When he went down Kota snagged the keys from his belt and ran inside.

Dabi eyed the kid from his hospital bed and raised a brow when Kota started going through the keys.

"You my new watch dog?" he inquired with a slight smirk.

"You're Izumi's friend right?" He asked without looking up from his task. "If I release you will you help her escape?"

"If I can manage it." Dabi held up his cuffed hands. "You know she's in a coma right?

"Yeah…" Kota's eyes went soft with sadness. "The doc said you could help wake her up, because you're real close. They're taking you away tomorrow and I know you guys did bad stuff and hurt people but Izumi wouldn't do it without good reason. I don't want her to go to prison, I want to help her, but I can't do it by myself." He held up the key. "So I set you free, then you help me save her. Deal?"

Dabi thought for a minute as he looked down at the key. He knew he didn't have long to contemplate and decided it was his best chance at freedom.

"Alright kid." He holds out his cuffed hands. "You got a deal."

Kota unlocked him, Dabi rubbed his wrists and stood up. His legs buckled some but he quickly shook off the weakness.

"Do you know where they're keeping her?" Dabi asked as he pulled the guard from out of the hall, and cuffed him to the bed to keep anyone from seeing him.

"In ICU I think. It's where they keep all the seriously injured people." Kota explained and Dabi nodded.

"Alright, I can't walk around in just a hospital gown." He poked his head out and as an anxious man in a surgical gown walked by he snagged him and covered his mouth before he could scream. With a quick chop to the back of the head the guy was out like a light.

He switched his clothes, put on the cap and face mask to hide his identity and then calmly walked out the door with Kota in hand.

"This guise won't work for long...we need to snag Karma and get out quick. Also avoiding any police or heroes would be a plus."

"Got it." Kota pushed the button for the elevator. The two heard a commotion down the hall where they just came from and hurried inside before they could be spotted. Once on the floor with ICU a rush of cops ran right past to the emergency stairs.

"Call for backup!" Tsukauchi screamed the order. "We can't let anyone leave the building until she's found!"

"She?" Dabi raised a brow and he ushered Kota onto an empty gurney and rolled him down the hall.

"Did she wake up? I didn't see anyone but nurses come in or out."

"What about the window? Could she have climbed out?"

"In her condition? She'd fall right off the edge!"

Dabi and Kota both eyed the room as they passed by trying to remain inconspicuous. What they saw was a group of frantic heroes and policemen investigating an empty bed.

**~Shie Hissakai~**

"Good work, boys." Kai Chisaki, known to his crew as Overhaul, stare down at his prize. The Queen of Villains herself lay unconscious on the tatami mat style bed in his feudal style house that served as the base of his Yakuza group. "Did the cops catch wind of who was behind it?"

"No, and frankly I'm disappointed." Mimic complained. "We expected a lot more resistance from the heroes and police on staff."

"You make it sound easy." Larceny complained. "Being in that building was stressful especially with all the cops. I was barely able to snag the keys from the guard." He tossed the set up and down in his palm. "Not to mention the stench of the place."

"Agreed though I have to say that the hardest part was unhooking her without setting off the machines. I was able to sneak in with one of the nurses, but keeping everything in slow motion whilst wheeling her out and not drawing attention to myself was by far the most difficult task. It helped that the security was so lax. The police force lost a great deal of numbers from the attack, and I suppose with both All Might and Endeavor out of the picture heroes have lost their gumption." Chronostasis reaffirmed. "Nothing but blowhards and weaklings left in the lineup."

"That may be, but there's plenty of heroes who can claim to be the next "Number One Hero." It's time for us to take our place and prevent further infection of Hero Syndrome… but in order to do that we need this one." Kai held his hand over Karma. "At full strength again."

"While I was incognito I overheard the doctors talking about her condition." Mimic informed. "She's in a coma, but not a permanent one. Her brain activity was off the charts but she would need surgery to fully heal the damage All for One caused."

"We don't have time for such nonsense." he removed his glove and held his palm out towards her. "Let's speed up the process a little."

"You sure you wanna do that boss?" Chronostasis took a couple steps back and . "She isn't your normal thug yah know."

"She's no good to me brain dead. If this doesn't wake her up...then she's expendable." He lay his palm on her forehead, his arm immediately breaking out in hives at the contact. He quickly pulled back shuddering and sweating as Karma's body mishappens.

Inside her mind Izumi mentally screamed in agony. The pain! The pain! It was nearly unbearable. It had come on so sudden, interrupting her dreams and ripping her back to reality. She felt her bones crack and reform setting themselves back to rights and her busy mind cleared. Her eyes snapped open, sweat pooled on her skin and she let out an ear piercing shrill as her body jerked upright. Dark black flames shot out from her pores and scorched her bed turning it to ash.

"Holy shit!" hissed against the burn as he tried to usher Chisaki back. Almost as fast as it appeared the fire died down. Izumi's breath labored and her eyes darted around as she struggled to focus on her surroundings. She crouched in the ashes of her bed looking wild and in shock.

"Welcome back, your highness…" Chisaki replaced his glove after sanitizing himself. "Did you enjoy your sleep."

"Where am I?" She spoke in a croaky voice and eyed Chisaki speculatively.

"You're in my home…" he crouched down so he was eye level with her. "Tell me something, Karma. How much do you remember from your fight with All for One?"

At the mention of All for One Karma's eyes went wild and she searched the faces in the room for him. When she didn't see him she grit her teeth and stood up, naked and heat just radiating off her.

"Everything…" she looked down at her hands watching the fire dance along her palms. Her demeanor seemed to calm but when her gaze returned to the group they looked into a pair of eyes that were full of animosity and pure hatred. "I remember everything!"

**~meanwhile~**

"Hurry up will ya! People are starting to look at me funny." Kota complained to Dabi from the passenger side of a car.

"No one said you had to come." Dabi grumbled as he snapped the wires together causing a spark and hot wiring the engine. "Got it!"

"Are you kidding me?" Kota glared. "I just helped a wanted criminal escape police custody. No way I'm going back and getting punished for it." The engine came to life and Dabi cautiously rolled the vehicle out of the parking lot. The police had surrounded the hospital and both he and Kota had to escape on foot moving past the security. Once a few blocks away Dabi spotted an unlocked car and decided it was the perfect getaway.

"Now you've just helped me steal a car. Congratulations kid, you've officially joined the dark side." Dabi congratulated him.

"Shut up…" Kota slumped into his seat and folded his legs. "It just felt like the right thing to do, even if it was illegal." He puffed out his cheeks glaring out the window. "So now what?"

"We're gonna need some real clothes, and a quiet place to hide out for a bit. Then if you're still on board we go look for Karma."

"Izumi…" Kota grumbled that. "Her name is Izumi."

"Hmmm…" He glanced from the driver's seat and down at the pouting kid. He recalled Karma mentioning that she'd bonded with a kid, the same one she'd saved from Muscular. "You're right. We'll go look for Izumi together, Kota."

"Huh?" He glanced back up wide eyed. "You know my name?"

"Izumi mentioned you a few times… she said you share our view of the world, and that the two of you had become friends."

"Yeah… I guess we are friends." He looked down at his hands, twiddling his thumbs.

"Is that why you wanted to help her?"

"Sort of… she is my friend, but it's more that I wanted to save her because she saved me. She kept her promise to come whenever I needed her. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't return the favor?"

"Hmmm…" Dabi smirked and rubbed the top of the kid's head. "Good point."

"So now that you know my name… are you gonna tell me what your is?"

"My name-" he started to tell him to call him Dabi… but then thought of his current situation, and abilities. "Touya…" He smiled down at him. "You can call me Touya."

**~Back with Karma~**

Karma ran a towel through her hair, the kimono she was provided was a bit loose on her but at least she wasn't walking naked around a room full of men.

She paused the drying to admire her reflection and could hardly believe what she saw. She retained all the muscle and body she had acquired from the last year, but the rest of her had reverted to that of her middle school self. Her curly hair was back to its original dark green color, and flowed silkily down her shoulder to the middle of her back. Her skin felt new and clean. All the scars, cuts, bruises and broken bones she'd had were completely gone.

It was as if all traces of Tomura and All For One were purged from her, and all that was left was Izumi. Which was probably for the best, she thought looking down guilty. It was clear now that she and Tomura would never have a strong and healthy relationship. He was too dependent on her, and she still had delusions of grandeur of being his hero. It was high time she accepted the truth and that neither of them truly loved the other.

_Karma… I love you._

Pain erupted in her chest and she brought the towel to her face. Tears slipped down her cheek and evaporated as the heat on her skin started to build. The towel started to catch fire, but all she could feel was the pain and loneliness in her own heart.

"You'd best calm down before you burn the entire house down." Chisaki warned her as he stepped into the room with her. Karma immediately calmed at the sound of his voice. The fire died, the small sparks that singed the towel were nothing but small clouds of smoke.

"My entire life came crashing down, and you expect me to act rationally?" She turned to him, tossing the singed towel in the trash can, the air now thick with the scent of char. When he said nothing she knelt at the small table in the center of the room. "Are you finally going to tell me who you are and why you brought me here?"

"Temperamental aren't you?" He remained standing, keeping his distance. "My name is Kai Chisaki, and I'm the current head of the Shie Hissakai."

"The Yakuza?" She twiddled her thumbs in an old nervous habit, wishing she had a writing utensil of some kind to take notes. "Now I remember why you look familiar to me… All for One told me about you during my training. He said you and I had similar ambitions and that I should know your face. I even looked you up when I was browsing for potential allies. You're pretty young for a Yakuza leader."

"So says the teenager who once ruled over the crime world." He mocked and stuffed his hands in his pockets. When she gave him an impatient stare he shrugged. "My crew and I liberated you from police custody for the purpose of negotiation."

"Negotiation?" She rubbed her throat which still felt raw from the recent smoke inhalation. She ran the events of the attack in her mind and had to sneer. "If you're talking about with the league I'm no longer associated with them. All for One saw to that."

"My negotiations are with you not with them." He finally sat down across from her, leaning over the table and tapping his gloved fingers on the wood. "You've gone and turned the world upside down little Queen. Even now the police are looking for you, frantic with trying to find out where you've escaped to and I can't blame them. You're a very valuable piece in the game of life...one no side can afford to lose."

"Yet so far everyone's treated me so expendably." She leaned her head on her hand sighing heavily.

"Their mistake... You were in a coma for nearly a week and a great deal of things have changed since your fight with All for One."

"A week huh?" She whispered it at first and her eyes suddenly hardened. "What exactly happened after I passed out?"

He indulged her, answering all her questions of the events from the past few days. He told her of All for Ones defeat, and imprisonment. He told her about All Might's public apology and retirement announcement. He told her of the rise in criminal activity that came from such news and the heavy burden hero society was facing because of it.

"So it's begun…" The smallest of smiles passed over her face. "Glad to see my efforts to make change weren't totally in vain." The smile instantly faded and she sighed heavily. Guilt and failure stirred in her gut making her want to throw up. "So are you one of those that are trying to cash in on All Might's retirement?"

"It is the loss of All for One that interests me more than All Might's retirement." Chisaki told her, looking into those enigmatic green eyes. "My generation considered him an urban myth… and the elders believed him to be dead. However he revealed himself out in the open, and largely because of your influence, now resides in Tartarus."

"Are you mad at me for that?" Izumi inquired tucking the Kimono more tightly around her. For some reason she felt ridiculously cold.

"On the contrary… you've presented me with a wonderful opportunity. Now that the leader of the underworld has been removed from the picture the big question everyone has is, who is the next leader?"

"All for One made it abundantly clear that he's chosen Tomura for that role." She pointed out, a sharp pain lodged in her stomach at the thought of her ex boyfriend.

"You mean the fool who disregarded your orders at every turn, made a nuisance of himself, and very nearly destroyed what was his most useful tool?" He reached out, and scowled from behind his mask when he felt the heat of her new quirk begin to sizzle in warning. He pulled back. "The boy won't last without you."

"All for One doesn't seem to share your sympathies. He has faith in him, and once so did I. He's got a clever mind when it's not distracted by pettiness." She didn't know why she was defending Tomura. Old habits die hard, she supposed.

"Perhaps, but he has no plan, and no ambitions besides gaining power." Chisaki pointed out and cupped his hand up as if holding the weight of the world in his palm. "I on the other hand have a plan, but I lack the recognition he has in order to gain finances for it."

"Understandable." She spoke in a bored tone. "The Yakuza seldom act nowadays. Ever since All Might showed up, the threat of your organizations are practically nonexistent. Who wants to support that?"

"Which is why I asked my associates to bring you here." He told her smirking from behind his mask when her eyebrow rose. "The League of Villains is backing Tomura instead of you, and after your fight with All for One you were put into police custody and said to have sustained life threatening injuries. Despite all that, the whole world knows who you are, Queen of Villains."

Izumi's face went stony, and her shoulders straightened instinctively.

"I see, so that's what this is about. Sorry but I'm not gonna be your cash cow." She slowly stood up from the table, her legs still not quite solid underneath her. When she gripped the edge to steady herself it went up in flames. She squealed and fell backwards, holding her hands out instinctively as the flames quickly puttered out leaving a charred pile of wood.

"You're a bit too sick to be out and about just yet." Chisaki told her and backed away as well. He called for one of his men to clean up the mess.

"All for One…" she looked at her palms that smoked. She knew she'd been given Dabi's quirk the minute she woke up… but hadn't expected the raw power she now contained from the slightest touch. "He tried to break my mind, but all he's done is give me another, more powerful quirk."

"Two, actually. While you were still unconscious we took a look at your DNA and it would seem you've three quirks. Sentient Aura, Your subordinates quirk "cremation" , and a third we've yet to identify." He crossed his arms. "You've been severely infected."

"You analyzed my DNA?" She gave him a questioning look. "How?"

"My plan involves a lot of scientific analysis of quirks and how they work. I took the samples mainly out of curiosity, and those are the results I pulled."

"I don't believe this…" She didn't know how many more surprises she could take. "I've so many questions and I don't even know where to start."

"Compile a list for me, but for now work on your recovery. It's best that you stay here. Your face and name are known worldwide, you're a wanted criminal with no crew to support you, and your so called friends have all but abandoned you."

Friends...Dabi… a sudden panic and urgency came over her.

"Dabi hasn't and he's out there somewhere. I need to find him!"

"I can tell you he's not in police custody. He escaped just around the same time we liberated you." Chisaki informed her.

"Dabi…" She closed her eyes, remembering how Dabi's face would often be the first thing she'd seen in the morning. How he'd supported her quietly from the background. How he took care of her and watched over her even knowing that she chose Tomura over him. How could she have taken him for granted? "I'd like to leave."

"Do you really think you can find him in your current condition and all on your own?" He grunted with annoyance. "All you'll end up doing is getting yourself arrested, or killed your highness."

"Don't call me that!" She snapped at him, hair flickering with black flames. Chisaki cocked his head to the side wondering just what other quirk she had other than the gift from her subordinate. "I'm not a Queen anymore."

"Don't be so sure. You may not have a kingdom right now, but I can still give you one." He lifted his hand up in a beckoning motion. "Join me, lend me your name and power, and together we'll dethrone the false king."

"Not interested…" she scowled and backed away from him. "I've had enough of being used as a tool. I've had enough of men who think they can control me. I'm not anyone's pawn to play."

"Who said anything about making you a pawn?" He smiled at her, watching the flames flicker through her hair. He stepped forward, grunting a little at the heat that radiated off her body. Something crawled along his skin, but he kept his tone soft and pleasant. "I don't care for intimacy… or romantic gestures. The thought of touching another person, especially in this sickly world, repulses me... but I'd be willing to do that with you...and make you my wife."

There was a long and eerie silence. Izumi stare up at him dumbfounded, and had to let out a snort.

"You're joking." She laughed with disbelief. "I can't marry you. On top of the numerous reasons you just listed I'm only sixteen."

"You're still legal to marry. Sixteen is the age of consent, and you have been emancipated if memory serves. You're more than free to take a husband." He argued and stepped back from her. "At any rate, you will need to come up with a false identity in order to avoid police custody. It's a simple matter for my contacts to forge the right documents and pass you off as a legal and of age citizen."

Izumi couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her? The wife of a Yakuza leader? Just where in this guy's sick mind did he think this was a good idea? More importantly, why would he want to?

"Aside from my name, why in the hell would you want to marry me? As you said before you don't like intimacy, and clearly don't have any romantic interest in me. So why marriage?"

"You have a bad habit of removing star game pieces from your roster if they don't mesh with your ideals. Stain… Muscular… Moonfish… All for One." He stepped towards her making her bristle like a cornered cat. "Making you my wife, will show your commitment to my cause, and put more faith in our alliance."

"I suppose that makes sense," sensing his hesitation she lifted a hand out, forcing him to pull back. The man was mysophobic, she concluded, which would explain the plague mask. Fascinated, and intrigued by his contradicting behavior she pressed further. "Wouldn't your backers find it odd that someone like you would choose a wife? Let alone one so young and inexperienced?"

"I'd hardly call you inexperienced." He tucked his hands in his pockets pacing a little as he spoke. "You may have only been a villain for little more than a year, but in that short amount of time you went from being completely unknown, to becoming the world's most notorious villain. You gained more status and wealth within the span of a few months, then veterans do in years."

"You do have a point… but I'm still not quite buying into it." She watched him carefully, listened to his explanations and knew there was something hidden in his objective. "There's more to this that you're not telling me."

"I do have other reasons for wanting a wife." He told her truthfully. "...but I'm not yet ready to divulge that information until we can come to an accord. Give the offer some thought… and we'll talk again." He turned his back to her. "Get some rest, and try not to burn the house down while you're about it."

He left the room, and Izumi listened to the echoes of his footsteps until they became inaudible. She eyed the charred floor where the table had been and knelt back down looking at her hands.

"Marriage huh?" She let out a short pithy laugh. "Yeah right, one loveless relationship was enough for me."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Woot update complete! I knew where I wanted to take this but I kept doing revisions because there were certain phrases and descriptions I wasn't happy with. I hope it was worth the extra time. **_

_**Next Chapter: Feel the Burn**_


	20. Feel the Burn

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 20: Feel the Burn**

**~Tartarus Prison~**

"Well now this is certainly a surprise." All for One spoke as the guard announced that he had a visitor. "All Might has come to visit me. Feeling some regret are we?"

"No regrets on my end, All for One." All Might clarified sitting in his shrunken form, and swimming in his former costume. "I did what I was always meant to, and that was to ensure you live out the rest of your days behind bars."

"If that's true then I'm curious as to why you're here. Surely it's not to offer me a deal."

"Tomura Shigaraki, where is he?" All Might questioned and got a grin out of All for One.

"I don't know… unlike your pupil my young man has left the nest. Soon he will be in pursuit of his own path. I only gave him the little nudge he needed to take charge."

"By nudge do you mean your attempt to eradicate Izumi Midoriya?" All Might closed all ten of his fingers into tight fists.

"Attempt?" He laughed. "Is she not out of the picture? I believe I accomplished exactly what I wanted."

"You said you were going to turn her into a weapon…" All Might said, doing his best to remain calm. "You took the young man's quirk and gave it to her, but what else did you force into her to try and break her mind?"

"Try?" Now the question came out surprisingly irritable. All Might heard the tone and tried not to feel smug about it.

"Karma lives on… Her mind is as active as ever." He informed him and watched the muscles in All for One's body tense.. "Both she and her friend Dabi have escaped police custody." He leaned forward in his seat. "You were dead set on breaking her mind, but you failed. She was in a coma for a few days but now she's loose on the world again. Like her name speaks she'll be out for revenge. She'll tear apart any plans you have, make her own way through the world rising in power while you rot away in this cell."

Outwardly calm but internally seething with irritation, All for One sighed.

"It would seem you and I have something in common. We both underestimated Karma's strong mind." He said with a slightly amused expression. "I don't know whether to be impressed or appalled."

"Matters little to me how you feel about it. I'm retiring from hero work, but she's a loose end I can't afford to let go. I'm determined to find her, but no one knows what her new abilities are. No one but you."

"I see… your initial question about Shigraki was only a ploy. SHE is the real reason you came here."

"There are plenty of heroes working on finding Shigaraki and his league, but my connection to Karma is personal, and I won't rest easy until I find her again."

"Just what's in it for me to give you the information I have on her? What makes you think I'll just hand over this valuable information to you knowing I'll receive nothing for it."

"I've never known what you wanted to accomplish. You spent years preserving that body, devoting that time to exploiting, controlling, and toying with people. Whatever you're planning, whatever your final game is, it no longer includes Izumi Midoriya. She's played her part, which is why you tried to remove her from the picture, but you failed. She'll continue to outsmart anyone who attempts to overthrow her. She'll find new followers, build over and over until she finds the one that sticks. With or without her kingdom she is still a Queen among villains, and has rightfully earned that title."

All for One remained silent, staring at his foe with a calm expression. On the inside however, he was seething with fury. To imagine his plans were unraveling because of an arrogant teenager.

"You'll get nothing from me, All Might. Shigaraki will take his place as my successor and deal with Karma in time. A Queen is nothing without a King to put her in her place."

**~Shie Hissakai~**

Izumi took Chisaki's advice and rested for a few days before attempting to go out and about. She worked on controlling the fire that haphazardly appeared on her skin whenever her emotions started to go haywire. She'd had some practice with controlling fire before, when she and Dabi had worked on her Phoenix persona, and it helped her really grasp the control its flow. It was far from mastered, but at least now she wouldn't have to worry about setting fire to everything she touched.

It was an odd punishment being given this new power. Despite liking Dabi's use of his quirk she didn't care to wield it herself. The haphazardness of it made her think of the man who'd killed her mother, and the way the flames flickered through her hair was very reminiscent of Endeavor…

...and didn't that just suck?

As if she didn't feel guilty enough about the path she had chosen, but now everytime she used her new quirk she would be forced to remember how she'd killed that man. Not by design or by tactics, but by accident. She had no qualms about killing Stain, Nakahara, or Muscular, and she certainly hadn't felt guilty over All for One and the doctor because she had done it all with intention. She did it to protect the people she cared about and could find no regrets about that.

Endeavor was the only life she'd taken out of pure rage and hate. It was the only kill that truly made her feel like a villain.

Still, just like she told Kota, if you didn't like the cards you were dealt then accept the defeat and play a different game. She would use this new power to her advantage in whatever she was going to do from now on.

She had several prospects to choose from. She could move on, get out of the country and start fresh. She could go back to Tomura and give him and the other ingrates a piece of her mind. She could stay with Chisaki, accept his odd proposal and find out what this elaborate plan of his is and return as the Queen of Villains.

All of them had pros and cons she weighed in her mind. All of them had good strategic viewpoints.

...but what did she WANT to do?

Her mind had lead her this far, but her heart had fought her the entire time. Maybe it was time to actually listen to what it had to say.

"Alright then, Izumi, what do you want to do?" She asked herself, and replied with no hesitation. "Dabi, I want to find Dabi."

For the first time in months she was separated from her knight. When All for One threatened to kill him it made her realize just how much Dabi meant to her. She enjoyed his company, respected his thoughts and opinions, and appreciate all he'd done for her.

"It's strange…" She hugged herself, fire lighting from her fingertips to warm her skin. It was like he was there, holding her protectively. "You're nowhere in sight… and yet I've never felt so close to you. Is it because your quirk is mine now? Are you still protecting me even now, my knight?"

_You love him…_

How stupid was it that she needed the old man to point out what had been right in front of her face? She'd denied her feelings for Dabi for so long because of her connection with Tomura. In the end Tomura was just someone she'd wanted to save and protect, and she let it drag her down to where she was now. Now without a doubt in her mind she knew it was Dabi whom deserved her love and affection, and it was Dabi whom she'd save and protect from now on.

"Okay, goal assessed… now how to go about it?" Now that she knew what her heart wanted, it was time to use her head to achieve it. Chisaki was right that she couldn't find Dabi on her own, and it was unlikely that she'd get help from anyone else. Question was could she get Chisaki to help her without resorting to marriage?

The aspect of marriage felt strange to her. She was still young, and the thought of it had never even crossed her mind. Now that the option was laid out in front of her, with promising benefits included, she had to give some serious thought to accepting it.

Just what would being his wife entail? He made it clear to her that their relationship wouldn't exactly be romantic or physical in any way. If anything it was more like a partnership agreement. Given that, she doubt she'd have trouble convincing him to allow her to be with Dabi for real relationship things such as skinship and affection.

Still that pegged the question of what would her wifely duties be? Did he really just want her name and reputation connected to him? More than likely they'd have to be seen together, live together, eat together, and she knew the Yakuza often handled business deals and such with others which included formal events and meetings.

"Ugh, this is all just theory…" She concluded and stopped pacing the room. "I should just ask him to spell out what he wants. I'd have a better idea on how to handle the situation if I knew what I was getting into."

The smell of char caught her attention and she looked at the rut her feet made from pacing back and forth. There was a clear line of burnt carpet, more than likely caused by her increasing frustration. Just like Sentient Aura it would seem cremation was also connected to her emotions.

"I need to get a better understanding of this new quirk, and the third one I've yet to uncover…" she held out her hands watching the flames dance over her skin. She turned and called out to the guard at her door. "Hey, ask your boss if he's got a training room or something I can use. At least find me someplace a bit more fireproof."

"Sorry, no can do. Chisaki wants you to stay right he- GAH!" The guard yelped as Izumi burned down the door from touching it, setting his clothes on fire and forcing him to roll around on the ground. She watched him, amused and a bit embarrassed by the accident. Still the man was pathetic, and she felt a little insulted that Chisaki would choose such a clown to watch over her.

"Fine, if you won't help me, I'll find more suitable accommodations myself." She smirked down at him and walked away, waving her hand and enjoying the effect of the blazing fingertips.

As she wandered, she started coming up with a game plan on how to properly train the quirk.

"I still have my sentient aura…" She held out both hands, one covered in fire, the other in fire. When practicing in her room she'd found out the way it flowed out of her was similar to that of her first quirk. The dark green of her energy and the blackish blue fire really did look alike. The only major difference between them was their properties. Sentient Aura also had more diversity in the way she could change it's shape, whereas Cremation didn't have any real form at all. As a test she wrapped her energy around the fire and smiled as it formed a ball ball the flame flickering around inside it without extinguishing. "Nice… now I wonder what would happen if I-"

"HEY!" The guard from before ran up behind her cursing. She paused and turned towards him. "Chisaki told me to keep you from wandering off. Now be a good little minion and-" he stopped as eyed the flame in her hand. Izumi watched his face go pale, his body cowering back some. Her lips slowly curved.

"Minion?" She cocked her head to the side, gently moving the energy from palm to palm. "Last I checked you're not the boss of me. Chisaki is not the boss of me. I go my own way, walk my own path, and any third rate, mouthy, and persistent little nuisances that get in my way…" Her eyes go fierce and the smile turned twisted. "...are expendable." She launched the fire at him, opening the energy so the flame popped like a firework in front of his face. The guard let out a terrified scream, falling back on his ass and scampering off on his hands and knees before running away.

She had to laugh at that. The experiment wasn't nearly what she had expected, but the outcome pleased her. It was a nice little scare and intimidation tactic she'd have to save for a later date. Pleased with her own progress she continued her wandering, her hands now creating more little balls, experimenting with different levels of fire and energy.

It took close to thirty minutes for her to find what she was looking for. The wide spacious training area seemed to be a fit for a multitude of quirks and damage resistant material. She wrapped her hands and feet in energy to keep the flames at bay and jumped up to snag hold of the chin up bar.

She started to do pull ups, dragging them out to increase the strain and weight of each lift for maximum effect. The clothes Chisaki had given her were simple enough; the jeans and t-shirt allowing her both comfort and function. She'd managed to control the fire enough that it only came out in her hands and feet, but it didn't exactly allow her any kind of footwear. It was a small annoyance as she didn't mind walking around barefoot for the time being, and with Sentient Aura activated she could keep the fire at bay while training.

She was surprised at just how good she felt. Her body felt so strong and healthy despite having been in a coma for a week.. All she remembered after passing out was being in a severe amount of pain, and waking up from her nightmares surrounded by fire and ash. She'd have to question Chisaki on how he'd managed to heal her so quickly.

She lifted herself up into a hand stand on the bar, her arms feeling the burn of tightening muscle, but stayed steady under her weight. She could feel sweat pooling around her temples and wished she'd pulled her hair up and out of her face before beginning.

That was the other oddity, not only was her body completely healed, but all her scars, and external damages were removed. The hair she'd cut had grown out, the wounds she'd taken from Tomura's abuse and her own training had vanished.

Just what did he do to her?

"Having fun?"

Speak of the devil, Karma flipped upright and sat on the bar looking down at Chisaki. He stood, calm as you please, looking up at her. His expression was hard to tell as the mask hid his mouth, but his eyes were fixated on her in an almost awed expression.

"You here to scold me?" She crossed her legs smirking down at him.

"Should I?" He shrugged. "I would have preferred you stay in your room, but I can understand you needing some time to stretch your legs."

"I did ask the guard so I could ask you directly, but he was being unreasonable. So I took matters into my own hands." For affect she lifted her right palm and let the fire out.

"Again, understandable." He pointed to the ground. "Come on down from your throne, your highness… and let's have a chat."

"I suppose I could spare a moment." She flipped backwards off the bar and landed smoothly. "If you're wanting an answer to your proposal, I don't have one just yet. I'm wanting more details before I decide to commit to anything."

"I figured as much… now that I don't have to worry about you setting fire to my home, I will show you around, and we can talk about the future." He stepped sideways holding his palm out towards the door in a gentlemanly gesture. "Shall we?"

She gave a shrug and walked side by side with him. Each time he increased his pace she walked faster to match it, which she noticed irritated him, but didn't care. She needed to let him know right off the bat that she wasn't his subordinate or someone he could push around. If he wanted an alliance, it had to be on equal footing, or none at all.

"You said you have a plan, and that you need my help to collect finances for said plan. Would you like to enlighten me on exactly what your goal is?"

"My goal is to purify the world of its spreading illness," He stated simply.

"Illness?" She raised a brow.

"Hero syndrome… it's a disease that has infected society. Quirks in general are disgusting, they're abilities that contaminated our species, and allowed for Hero syndrome to take root. I'm working on a cure that will eliminate quirks, and bring society back to the way it was meant to be."

"I see…" Strange that his motivations made sense to her. In a way he reminded her of Kota, and his pure hatred of quirks. "I take it the work involving the cure isn't exactly legal, which is why you've resorted to villainous tactics to achieve it?"

"There aren't many who support my plan… and because of this I've been forced to find my own way of doing things."

"Hence why you need my name and the influence I've gained over society in general. Are you sure you don't want to be speaking to Tomura about this? It's the league that has the world's attention, and I'm no longer at the hub of it."

"You're wrong about that…" he ushered her into a room and motioned for her to sit down. He picked up several newspapers and threw them on the table. The tabloids read:

"_**Queen of Villains Down for the Count?"**_

"_**Izumi Midoriya, Tragic Hero, or Likeable Villain?" **_

"_**All Might Final Speech Evokes Karma's Logic."**_

"What's all this?" She picked up a paper with All Might on the front and started to read. What she read completely shocked her.

"During his retirement speech, All Might spoke of you. He said you were once his fan, a true believer of heroes and the system… but his failure as a teacher lead you down the path to villainy and he was ashamed of it. He was happy that you gave him a second chance to redeem himself, but couldn't ignore his long list of failures prior to it. He said his time as the Symbol of Peace is over, and it was your actions that showed him that truth. All believes it's time for the world to change, and now all of society is contemplating the same thanks to you."

Tears slipped down her cheek and evaporated into small puffs of smoke. The paper in her hands started to burn and she watched as All Might's face slowly turned to ash.

"When you said All Might's retirement caused an uproar in society I thought it was just due to the lack of said symbol. That wasn't the case… not only did All Might retire, but he actually agreed with the words of a villain?" The very thought of that rocked her down to the core. All Might, the Number One Hero and Symbol of Peace, conceded to a villain.

"Not just any villain… he agreed with you." Chisaki pointed at her. "You've influenced the most influential man on the planet, and now the entire world is paying attention to your actions. There are videos on the web cataloguing your entire life, from infancy to now. There are websites dedicated to you. There are people on the streets preaching your logic to the world. Everyone is watching you, Karma, and the heroes know it. Had you stayed in police custody it was almost assured that the heroes would have attempted to reform you somehow."

"So that's what you meant by I was an important piece that no side could afford to lose. The decisions and actions I make now have a lot more weight on what society will do." She dusted the ash off her hands.

"Exactly, which is why I knew I had to act fast. I wanted my chance to persuade you to see my view on society, and earn your support."

"I see… Now your proposal makes more sense. My connection to the league of villains has been severed, All for One saw to that. He believed it was the league that had all the influence, and looked to remove me from the picture so that Tomura would possess it. Heh…" her grin spread. "He dug his own grave, because now my loyalties are put into question. If I were to marry you it would solidify our alliance, put my faith in your plan and bring more support to your cause."

"Precisely… now that I've given you the reasoning behind my actions, will you join me?" He held out his hand.

"I've a few more questions regarding the details of our possible alliance, Chisaki."

"Overhaul…" Chisaki grunted. "My villain name is Overhaul."

"Overhaul," Izumi corrected herself and leaned back on the couch. "You don't have to go into detail about your cure, or the process of it. I would, however, like to know more about the business side of it. Just how do you expect to release it amongst a society that has grown accustomed to their quirks."

"I've started off small." He pulled out a case from his pocket and opened it, revealing a gun cartridge. There was a single bullet beside it and he lifted it up for her to view. "This is just the fledgling fruits of my labor. A temporary fix for a long term problem. I've been selling it to various other organizations to further finance my plans."

"Smaller villain groups and other Yakuza clans, I take it?" She took it, watching him flinch and break out when their fingertips connected. "It's a start."

"My research has allowed me to decipher the source of quirks, and the cure deactivates it for a short amount of time. It sells, but now as well as I'd hoped. I've had to resort to selling quirk enhancers as well. Even villains are obsessed with the disease."

"Can't be helped… you need a more permanent solution." She set the bullet back in its case. "In order to do that you need more money." She rubbed her chin. "That always seems to be the biggest problem when running an organization. My own team had a similar crisis after we lost our financial backing."

"You solved that crisis relatively quickly." He pointed out.

"Through luck, mostly. Dabi and I went on to do some mercenary work which just happened to lead us to the biggest heist opportunity the world has ever seen. I doubt I'll be able to pull off anything that big as of yet."

"Are you saying you'll help me?"

"I don't have much of a choice. I need your help if I'm going to get anywhere. I'm not looking to get caught and controlled by hero society, and no way am I returning to the group of ingrates who just stood by and watched while All for One had his way." She lifted her eyes up. "Let's make a deal."

"I'm listening…" he tapped his fingers together, remaining patient and attentive.

"I've got a few stipulations… however if you help me control my quirk, provide me with an alias, costume and the resources I need to find Dabi… I'll consider it a wedding gift."

"Sounds fair… though remember that this is a small time Yakuza clan. The costumes and supplies you receive may not be up to your liking."

"Leave your financial worries to me." She tapped one of the papers in front of her. "I think I know how you can earn a quick buck. It should provide you with enough finances to assist me and put a little deposit on your research."

"Oh?" Chisaki eyed the paper, and the name listed under it. His smile spread from behind his mask. "I see… in that case you have a deal."

**~Meanwhile~**

"Of all the houses, in all of Japan, you choose mine as your hideout." Ace complained as he lit a cigarette. "You do realize I'm still under the public eye."

"You're also the only other league member besides me that is still loyal to Karma." Dabi pointed out. "Relax, I made sure that were weren't followed. I've been at this long enough that I know how to hide from the public eye."

"Uh huh…" Ace eyed Kota who was fast asleep on his couch. "...and you brought the kid, why?"

"He insisted on coming. He's also on Karma's side." Dabi snagged the cigarette and took a quick puff before handing it back to take the edge off his own nerves. "I was under the impression that the League was behind Karma's disappearance."

"They're not, I thought so too when it was announced that she'd vanished from police custody. No one knows where she is, what condition she's in." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "When you showed up at my door I thought you two escaped together… but even you're clueless as to where she is."

"She's got no other allies that I know of. It could be a different organization is hiding her, but I don't even know where to begin looking."

"I've got contacts all throughout the police force. If they hear anything about Karma's whereabouts I'll let you know. Until then I guess you can use this secondary house as a temporary hideout. Just make sure you and the kid stay out of sight. I've been super careful to hide my involvement with the League of Villains, and I'm not about to let my reputation be garnished."

"Fine, but if and when we find Karma, what then?"

"I don't know about you but-" Ace pulled up a flashdrive. "Karma gave me a task before shit hit the fan. When we do find her I can tell her that I've completed it."

"What task was that?" Dabi questioned and caught the flashdrive on the fly. Ace put a finger to his lips smirking confidently.

"To unravel the mysteries of hell."

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: Long time no see readers! This update took a bit longer because I've been working on uploading my stories onto other sites such as Wattpad. I hope it was worth the wait. **

**Next Chapter: The Life of the Yakuza**


	21. Life of a Yakuza

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 21: Life of the Yakuza**

"This is the queen's master plan?" Chronos complained as they rummaged through rock on the side of the mountain. "Digging in the dirt?"

"Filthy…" Chisaki agreed staying way back as his subordinates dug through debris. "...but if what she says is true, we'll find the means to fund our venture."

"Found them!" The largest of his grunts held up two silver cases he'd salvaged from the rubble. Chisaki walked closer.

"Open them." he crossed kept his hands firmly in his pockets and only slightly leaned in when the case opened revealing the tech inside.

"I-Island goods...now this will fetch a good price on the black market." Mimic rubbed his hands together, already crunching the numbers in his head. "I'm beginning to like this girl."

"There's only two items are we sure it'll be enough?" Chronos wondered aloud.

"This is just a down payment, but it'll give us enough to continue our production, and give Karma the costume necessities she needs." Overhaul motioned them all back toward the path. "Let's get out of here before we're spotted by unwelcome company."

"What's the plan for locating her friend?" Mimic inquired. "Should I put out some feelers?"

"I'm to get in contact with a man named Ace and pass on a message." Overhaul told him. "If we're lucky he'll meet with us and use his own connections to track down the schmuck for us."

"Ace huh? Isn't he with the League of Villains? How do we know she's not trying to send a message to Shigaraki?"

"Believe me…" Chisaki stare down at his hand recalling the conversation he'd had with her before they left. "She wants nothing to do with that useless king."

_Flashback_

"_You hid product from your team?" Chisaki raised a curious brow. _

"_Yes, I did it for emergency and trust purposes. I'm giving you coordinates to the first batch as they'll be the easiest to find. There are a lot of blueprints. You'll need to find someone who can put the materials together; a finished product is worth a whole lot more than just materials." Karma suggested crossing her legs and making herself at home in the meeting room. "There is one other item I want you to pick up for me personally. I duplicated the original David Shield project and customized the item for myself. I used it in my battle against All for One and it worked well, but the duplicated device was shattered to pieces during the fight. I still have the original hidden away."_

"_Don't you think you're sick enough?" Chisaki complained. "You may have gained some control, but you're still learning about this new sickness. Why do you want to empower it?"_

"_You know you've a very sour point of view about quirks despite having a powerful one yourself." She shrugged it off. "As for the why, I want to keep it out of everyone's hands but mine. This is the kind of item that if replicated could very well cause the world to go mad with power, and that's exactly what you're striving against, isn't it?"_

"_If it's that dangerous then the thing should be destroyed." He fisted his hands tight together. _

"_No, trust me Overhaul, this is an item that you can benefit from. It targets the quirk gene directly and amplifies it. If we can figure out how to reverse the process then you won't need these puny darts to achieve the affect you want." She held up the sample he'd given her. She watched his eyes go a bit wide with thrill, and knew she had him on board with her own plan. _

"_Alright, where does this guy come into play?" He tapped Ace's article. "You want me to pass on a message to him even though he's still a member of the League?" _

"_Aside from Dabi, Ace is the one I trust most. He and Broadcast were hired by me, and supported my plans from the beginning. Neither of them were directly involved in the Musutafu incident, and may very well still be on my side. I want to set up a meeting so I can find out what Ace knows, and see if I can gain access to any of the other materials, as well as the funds I collected for the league." _

"_You're going to steal from your former team?" He questioned curiously. _

"_It's not stealing as it's mine." She sneered and fire started flickering through her hair and scorched the upholstery of the couch. "It was my plan, my effort, and my ingenuity that acquired those goods. I provided everything for them; funding, resources, popularity. I refuse to let those no account traitors hog all of my spoils!" _

"_Alright, alright you've proved your point. You're making a mess." He motioned her to calm down and stood up. "My team and I will head to the locations you gave us and I'll deliver the message just as you requested." _

"_Good…" She stood with him, and as he walked past her she took his gloved hand. His body instantly tensed up, and skin started to break out. "Overhaul." _

"_Don't touch me…" he tried to jerk his hand away but she kept it firm. Her Sentient Aura surrounded her body, protecting her from any direct contact. Something about it, about the fact that she stood there unafraid of what he was capable of, stirred something inside him. _

_He didn't like it. _

"_The hell are you doing?" _

"_I'm trusting you, Overhaul." She rubbed her thumb over his knuckles, making his body jerk in response. "Against my better judgement I'm trusting you to acquire the people and items I need." She slowly pulled her hand back and held it up, palm out. "If this arrangement is gonna work, you're gonna need to put some faith in me as well." _

_He held up the hand she'd contaminated, staring at it with anger and fear. He wanted to lash out, break something, but her words and actions prevented him from doing anything. Without a word he whirled away from her and slammed the door shut on his way out._

_~End of Flashback.~_

Chisaki narrowed his eyes and clenched his open palm into a fist. He cradled it in his other hand and took a deep breath. Why was it the initial disgust of having her touch him was slowly fading away? What was she doing to him?

"Karma is going to be a key element in my plan's success." He informed his crew and lifted his eyes to the setting sun. "So I'm choosing to trust her despite my better judgement."

"That's new," Mimic murmured to Chronos as Overhaul led the way off the mountain. "The boss is actually putting his fate in someone else's hands."

"Is this a good thing, or a bad thing I wonder." Chronos questioned.

"Who knows, but I guess we'll find out."

**~Dabi~**

"You know kid, you could afford to slow down and actually CHEW your food." He snagged the plate away from Kota, the kid's cheeks stuffed with pancakes. "How do you even taste anything like that?"

"Like This…" he said muffled and then stuck out his tongue with the food still on it. Dabi shuddered and dumped the contents of the plate into the trash.

"I'm never having kids." He muttered and gathered the rest of the dishes to get them cleaned. Kota watched him, chewing what was his in his mouth thoroughly before swallowing this time.

"How are we supposed to find Izumi if we're stuck in this reporter's penthouse? We should be out in disguise looking for her."

"When you're a wanted criminal, no matter of disguise is a guarantee you'll stay off police radar." Dabi explained and turned off the water to let the pan soak. "Ace has contacts with both the underground and the police force. If anything about Karma pops up, he'll hear about it, and then we can go check on the lead. Until then we're staying right here."

Kota pouted and leaned on his hands kicking his feet back and forth. God he was bored. The stupid reporter didn't have any games, or toys. His computer was the only real source of entertainment, and even that grew stale. He glanced back over at Dabi watching him clean dishes.

"Can I ask you something" At his silence Kota pushed on. "Are you in love with Izumi?"

Dabi's hands stilled for a moment, but he answered with a calm, almost bored tone.

"I don't see how that's any of your business kid."

"Oh come on, you can tell me that much can't you?" Kota complained and sat upright in his chair in order to face him.

"The subject of love, and relationships are ones I avoid in traditional conversation, let alone discussing it with a kid."

"How come?"

"Because they're complicated." Dabi explained and turned towards him wiping his hands dry. He winced a little as one of his stitches caught on the towel and he pried it off gingerly. "Adults don't even fully understand it, so trying to explain it to a kid is just a big headache."

"So what you're saying is you don't know how you feel about Izumi, is that it?" Kota deduced and Dabi threw his hands up in frustration.

"Why is this such an important topic for you? Why the hell do you want to know how I feel about Izumi?"

"Well… it's because I want her to be happy." Kota explained simply and slumped back into his seat. "Whenever we talked she always seemed to have such a sad expression on her face. When I found out she was a villain and just who her friends were and all that stuff that happened on TV... I started putting it together."

Kota brought the image of Izumi back into his mind. The broadcast he'd caught, her words, her tears, her struggle…

"Izumi's a good person." He lowered his head as tears filled his eyes. "She doesn't want to be a villain but she doesn't have a choice because that's what everyone sees her as. They don't see the good she's trying to accomplish, they don't see who she is under Karma's mask, but I do!" The tears spilled over now. "She just wants to help people the only way she can."

Dabi looked down at this little boy with an awed expression. How was it that this kid saw more of his Queen than any of her comrades have? He walked to him, crouching down to eye level in order to wipe the kids tears away.

"I'm in love with her…" he told Kota, finally answering his question. " I also want her to be happy. Which is why when we do find her, we're going to do whatever it takes to help her achieve her dreams." He held up a fist. "You with me kid?"

Kota eyed it a moment before bringing up his smaller fist and bumping it against his.

"Yeah. I'm with you."

**~Izumi~**

"Well it looks like you had fun…" Overhaul looked around the destroyed work out room. "Did you leave me any men at all."

"You said so yourself that they were all disposable… and it's not like I killed them." Izumi told him, tightening the guard around her wrist. "They'll just be in a world of hurt for awhile."

"Did you get some satisfying results at least?" He asked and she turned a sinister smile in his direction.

"Did you?"

"Hmmmph…" Overhaul wasn't sure if he liked her spunk… but at the very least he liked her efficiency. "Chronos and Mimic are dealing with the items in question. We'll see if the price tag on them is as high as you say."

"I was low balling, so unless your crew members are total fools in bartering, you should be immensely satisfied." She placed a hand on her hip. "As for me, I've made significant progress in control. A few more days and I'll feel at ease about going out in public again. Which means you can keep your end of the bargain and arrange for that meeting."

"I've delivered the message to the man you call Ace" He kicked one of the expendables, rolling him over. "I've got a temporary costume ready for you, it'll have to do until your more durable materials come in."

"Excellent work. You accomplished everything in just one day. I'm feeling very positive about this arrangement, Chisaki." She offered a smile.

"Overhaul." He corrected her with a sneer. "We're not married yet, so don't think you can get formal on me."

"If I was going formal I'd call you Kai, not Chisaki." She pointed out with a shrug. "Either way, I still haven't quite made up my mind whether or not to marry you. I'd hoped to come up with a less personal contract that would benefit us. After all you're not exactly an intimate person."

"We don't have to be intimate to enjoy the benefits of marriage." He brushed debris off one of the tables and sat on it.

"I'm failing to see what benefits those are. Your definition and mine are two different kettles. I've always considered marriage a bond… something you only do with the person you love, trust, and respect. I don't love you, I barely trust you, and I don't know you well enough yet to respect you."

"Marriage is a legal binding of a man and woman. It is a contract; a merger of two people's lifestyles to create a more balanced one. You don't need love to make it work, but I will admit you need trust. I will gain your trust, just as you've gained mine."

"Have I now?" She raised a brow, smiling curiously and crossing her arms.

"Yes, I've trusted you this far, haven't I? I gave you access to my home and base, I let you in on my plans for the future. I even let you touch me." He held up his hand as a reminder to her. "In return you trusted me to collect those items and gather the materials you need to regain your strength. It proves you have faith in my plan, and are eager to be involved."

"I will admit your plan intrigues me. I've spent the majority of my career looking for ways to improve society and heroic behavior in general. Your concoction will be the key to a much bigger plan that hasn't been thought out yet, and I'm waiting to see what might stir up."

"That's fine by me so long as you stay interested, but is that the only reason you're agreeing."

"No." Izumi admitted and looked down at her hands. "The truth is my being here has changed something in me. I can feel it." She turned and admired herself in the broken glass of a mirror she'd shattered. Her body glistened with sweat from her workout, and she stood with such pride in herself that it was a bit shocking. "It's not just my quirk, or my ambition or even the way I look, but it's the way I feel." She stepped over her opponents, admiring what she'd done with her own two hands. "With Tomura I was constantly at war with myself. My two halves argued over and over about what I was doing. It was a twisted back and forth tug of war about right and wrong and I felt split right down the middle. I lied, I stole, I killed, all sorts of villainous acts telling myself it was for the sake of others... and yet I couldn't shake away the guilt or regret i'd managed to suppress under Karma's bravado."

She brought a hand to her face. Remembering how she'd always look in the mirror and see two different sides to herself. She'd see the innocent, and foolish girl with stupid heroic dreams… and she saw the dark and twisted villain she had become. The backlash of it always left her rattled and unsettled.

"It took me too long to realize the truth. I thought I had control of Tomura, I thought I was leading the group with my own efforts, but I was wrong. He somehow manipulated me into believing that I loved him, and because I believed it I did things that went against my better judgement, and in the end it changed me for the worse. I struggled with my battling personas, and ultimately tried to kill off my more pathetic and innocent side that i'd been suppressing."

"That's not what you really wanted though, was it?" Overhaul asked watching her have her epiphany with great interest.

"No, it's not what I wanted." She turned to face him fully. "All for One helped me realize that. I'm not who he is, I'm not the kind of power hungry villain that wants to gain influence for selfish purposes. I want power in order to help all manner or people, not just myself. I want power so I can change the world for the better… and now that I'm freed of the league the goal is in clear sight. I've made society aware of the hurt hiding behind All Might's smile. Now I want them to see the hurt and damage of the people who are NOT being saved as a result. I want them to understand what horrors hide behind the facade of a peaceful world. I want them to see people who are shunned because they don't fit the mold. I want them to see the crying victims whose voices are never heard. I want them to see the greed and selfishness hiding behind pretentious deeds."

"So you are going to become the Queen of the outcasts, is that right?" He laughed with rye humor in his eyes.

"Oh no, dear Kai." She walked to him, caging him between her arms. She watched him bristle like a cat, his tension so obvious that it amused her. She arched her neck to look up at him and offered up a flirtatious smile. "I AM the Queen. Queen of VIllains, Queen of Outcasts, Queen of the forgotten... I am all of that and more. It is my duty to help those who cannot help themselves, and speak up for all the voices that have been silenced. Good, bad, or caught in the middle, I will give each of them a place to belong. THAT is my dream, my goal, and I will fulfill it."

"Alright you've made your point, now back up you stupid-" he raised his hand, and cursed when she brought up her aura, the glow protecting her from his touch.

"You're so disgusted by people, and quirks. Do you really want to marry someone when you can't even stand to be close to them?" She touched his chest, and he shook now, his face pale and eyes showing fear for the first time.

"It doesn't matter…" he said with strain and he crawled back on the table scampering across it to get some distance between them. He panted heavily from behind his mask, glaring at her. "Your sickness doesn't matter, because it-"

"Frightens you?" She offered with a smirk.

"No! Damn you!" He cursed her. "Will you shut your trap and listen? Your sickness doesn't matter to me because it's different!"

"Different?" She jumped on the table now, crouching down so that they were completely at eye level instead of one looking down the other. "How so?"

"Quirks in general are a plague. They're a disease that spread throughout the world causing normal humans to become obsessed with heroic or villainous identities. You're the only one I've seen who has assumed both identities and yet fits in neither."

"I'm a villain." She told him straight up with a narrowed look. "No amount of good deeds will erase that fact."

"So you claim… and yet you still save people. That's not a very villainous thing to do." He pointed out and lay his hands on the table, this time taking the initiative and closing in on her. His breathing was labored behind the mask, showing his discomfort, but he pushed through it to stare her down. "You said it yourself that you struggled between two different personas. Your point of view is so askew from the norm that it's intriguing to me. I've only ever cared about one person… everyone else in the world I've only ever looked at as pawns or pieces to play but you-"

"I'm not a pawn." She interrupted him with a glare. "I warned you before that I would never be used again. I sometime refer people as pieces in a game, but I at least acknowledge they have their own spirits and mindsets and take that into account when setting up my board. Your way of treating other people is exactly why you fail to gain the right attention and is ultimately why you're still seen as a minor player."

"You're right, and that right there," he pointed at her face. "Is why I need you." His hand shook as it lifted to her face and cupped her cheek. Izumi's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "I'm a logical thinker, a planner, but I lack the connection with people to fully utilize my goal."

"Hmmmm are you saying…" She touched his hand with her own and he yanked it back walking away to scratch at the hives forming. "...you want to change?"

"Don't be ridiculous. People are incapable of change." He rubbed at his neck gritting his teeth behind his mask. "I'm using you, but you'll be using me as well. Everything will be 50/50, equal ground, a compromise."

"I think you're wrong about being able to change… however I will concede to your opinion for now." She sat properly now and crossed her legs. "More and more I'm beginning to understand your reasons for bringing me here, and more and more I'm tempted to stay."

"Then stay… Do whatever you need to in order to be comfortable here. I need you in order to make my plan a success, and you need me to fulfill your wish of creating a better and more equal world."

He was right, Izumi realized, and it was exactly the reason why she decided to trust him. She could clearly see the path to her own goal line, but she needed Chisaki to be successful in his plan in order to reach that goal.

"I will consider it…" She jumped off the table and pulled her hair free of it's tail. She tossed the curly locks around and strung her fingers through them. "For now, I will shower and change into the costume you've provided. Then we'll have a powwow with the expendables to discuss the protocol for tonight's meet."

Chisaki nodded his head in agreement and briskly left the room. With so much physical contact he desperately needed a bath of his own… but despite the trauma from his interaction with her he found himself grinning ear to ear with excitement.

**~Dabi and Ace~**

"Welcome back…" Dabi greeted Ace as he walked through the front door. "Any luck on finding our wayward queen."

"As a matter of fact…" Ace held up a letter. "I found this today. It's from someone who claims to know where she's hiding."

"He found her!" Kota leapt up excitedly from the couch.

"Pay attention, squirt, he said CLAIMED to know where she's hiding." Dabi said, clearly suspicious. "Where did you find it? It could be a trap set up to lure you into revealing your connection with the league."

"You would think so… except this was delivered to a private P.O. Box. It's a secret lifeline Karma and I arranged for communication and to avoid police suspicion. The only two people who know about it are Me, and Her. Which means..."

"Karma's trying to contact you…" anxious now Dabi took the note and read it.

_Ace, _

_I have information regarding the whereabouts of your missing queen. Let us meet and we shall discuss terms of negotiation. Come alone._

_Kai Chisaki, Leader of the Shie Hissaikai _

Dabi flipped the paper around for more information and scowled.

"Meet where?"

"The code is encrypted in the envelope, an old Yakuza tagline. I'll be meeting him tonight at the coordinates. We'll need to be very careful that you two aren't spotted."

"We? The letter said to come alone." Dabi pointed out.

"There's only one of two reasons Karma would be contacting me. She wants information about what's going on in the league, or she wants my assistance in something important. I get the feeling it's the latter with the first to be used as dressing."

"That still doesn't answer my-" he started to protest but Ace held up his hand.

"Trust me, whatever is going down, you'll want to hear about it."

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: Long time no see! Sorry for the long delay, been strapped with work, wedding planning, and all the various projects up in the air. Despite that fresh ideas are sprouting up left and right, and it's both glorious and frustrating to have all these new ideas. Hopefully I can collect my thoughts and punch out chapters a lot faster. Thanks for your patience!**

**Next Chapter: A Deal with the Devil **


	22. A Deal with the Devil

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 22: A Deal with the Devil**

"You want Overhaul to speak to him directly without your involvement?" Chronos questioned Izumi's plan as she stood beside his leader already feeling empowered by her position.

"Yes, all of you question whether or not to trust the person I've asked to meet with. He's still a member of the League of Villains, and as such has obligations to Tomura. If I were to speak to him directly it would be more compelling for him to favor me, and twist his words to gain my trust. So instead I want you to speak to him as if you're holding me hostage, and find out his true intentions."

"What if he decides to get violent?" Mimic questioned and brought up a gun. "Can we kill him."

"Ace is not a fighter, and ill suited for any kind of combat situation. He's a lot like you Shin." She glanced to the side at one of Chisaki's men. "His power compels people to speak the truth, and his true usefulness is in collecting information. I can assure you he won't get violent, and he's not stupid enough to bring anyone who will."

"The notice said to come alone. If he disobeys that-"

"If he disobeys then it all depends on who he brings with him." Izumi interrupted the argument and leaned forward on the table. "If he brings someone, then it'll be someone whom he finds valuable to his survival or will turn the tables in his favor. He's smart, charismatic, and has connections all over the world. It's why I valued him as an ally. This meeting isn't to determine his loyalty to me… but to determine his willingness to join you, Overhaul."

There was a moment of silence, and since no one decided to speak up Izumi pressed on.

"I'm the odd number out here, Overhaul. I need people I'm familiar with and whom I can trust 100%. Even if it is just two people, I need that support if I'm going to be useful to you. I need Ace to find Dabi, and I need Dabi to stay focused and calm. Whenever I have a meltdown he's always there to keep me grounded. He knows me, comforts me, and he is my rock to hold me steady. Tomura was fool for trying to take that away from me, so don't follow his example or you'll share his fate."

Overhaul lounged back in his chair, his fingers pressed together in his trademark "thinking" pose. All eyes turn to him and he let out a deep sigh as his mind became clear.

"Ambition without a plan is just a delusion, and a plan without ambition is a lost opportunity." He stood up and shoved a case across the table at her. "The same logic applies to us, Karma. Without you, my plan is a good intention with nothing to show for it. Without me you're a loose canon shoving her morales onto people who won't listen." He watched her open the case, admiring the costume inside. "I'll get you the people you need, but just remember-"

"I know." Her smile came fast and warm. "We need each other. That hasn't changed." she turned her eyes up to him. "Thank you, Overhaul."

**~Later~**

_"Ambition without a plan is just a delusion."_

Overhaul's philosophy was inspiring to Izumi. More and more she was finding reasons to like him. Even though he had many flaws to counteract those reasons she found herself looking over them to the core of who he was.

He was abrasive and temperamental when provoked, but knew how to appear well mannered and soft spoken.

He was egotistical, and cold, but he had the leadership skills and tactical prowess to gain a following.

He hated interacting with people, especially being touched, or intimate with anyone… And yet he'd gone out of his way to show her affection and attempt to bond with her.

From what she assessed, he was a man who had been hugely scarred in his past, making him hesitant to care for anyone other than himself.

_"I've only cared about one other person..."_

Only one other person… Izumi wondered just what kind of person could have earn Kai Chisaki's respect and affection.

"Are you ready yet?" Speak of the devil, Chisaki opened the door looking impatient. "We're gonna be late."

"Sorry, it's just a lot of pieces." Izumi complained adjusting the fingerless gloves and the straps on her wrist. She pulled her hair into a tight braid that now hung down her back like thick rope. The two piece black bodysuit was a bit tight, hugging her curves from neck to boots. Added to it were belts, straps, holsters and a bomber jacket with fur lining similar to the one Chisaki wore. The finishing touch was a full face plague mask that she slipped on to hide her identity. "Hey, this is more comfortable than I thought it would be. It breathes so much easier than my Phoenix mask.

"It suits you too…" He motioned her out the door. "Let's go your highness, your carriage awaits."

Once outside they drove through the city taking detours to avoid detection from police and heroes. They pulled into a misty port, parking alongside a surprisingly clean looking warehouse. Inside were huge crates of product spread throughout the concrete building. Packaging machines had been put into idle, and despite it being a hazy night had a decent amount of lighting coming from the pristine glass skylights. .

"This is one of the warehouses we use to package and import goods. Unlike my personal project, all the business here is legal and society approved." Chisaki ran a finger over a keyboard, nodding with approval when he didn't see a smudge of dust.

"So you work on both sides of the spectrum in order to gain revenue?" Izumi questioned, curiously peeking her head in an open crate. Inside were random goods, from postcards, figurines, and even ladies wear.

"This side of the business is purely for the clan's well being. My personal project is funded solely through the more "sensitive" means of income to avoid any messy entanglements or inhouse debate. It's a hassle if I have too many complaints from underlings about what I spend the profits on."

"Smart, and it also keeps them from learning too much about your plan and helps avoid the risk of being outed by police and heroes."

"You catch on fast…" He pat the top of the head without even thinking, but quickly withdrew from the touch.

"So this is where did you ask Ace to meet us?" She sat atop a crate and crossed her legs.

"Yes, I've two flunkies waiting outside. Once they've confirmed Ace's identity then they'll let him in." He pointed up. "You, Larceny, and Mimic will be up there in the control booth. I'll have a comlink on and you can feed me your input on the situation and ultimately your decision on how we should advance to the next stage."

"That works, it'll also give me a bird's eye view of the grounds in case there's any foul ups." She nodded her head at Larcent. "Go ahead and get set up in the booth. I'll be up there shortly."

Larceny and Mimic looked to overhaul first for confirmation before taking their places. Izumi's mouth turned down in a frown. If she really was going to help lead these people she needed to earn their trust and devotion.

"They're so loyal to you, how did you manage to gain their favor?" She looked to Chisaki. "Is it a Yakuza thing?"

"All the members of my faction were losers who didn't want to live, so I gave them new purpose. None of them are afraid of death." He ran fingers over a box, still checking for dust.

"Their lives were that miserable?" She questioned with a raised brow.

"If you want more details then ask them yourself at your convenience. For now your friend should arrive any minute so I suggest you take your place, your highness."

"Very well, but I really wish you'd stop calling me that."

"You're the one who claims to be the Queen of Outcasts, remember?" He looked over his shoulder, smirking behind his mask.

"That may be, but if what you want is my hand in marriage…" She glanced back at him and her voice took on a soft and affectionate tone. "Then you should get used to calling me by name."

"You're receiving a new identity, you won't be Izumi Midoriya for long," He pointed out.

"I suppose not… but at the very least you could call me your wife."

"I could, but you haven't completely agreed to my proposal yet."

"No, but maybe hearing you call me that will convince me." She laughed a bit and continued to walk. "Either way, you shouldn't address me as if I stand above you. It makes your subordinates wary of me, and makes you appear weak."

Overhaul grunted at that and he turned his back to her.

"That advice, I will take."

**~Dabi and Ace~**

Ace pulled up behind Chisaki's car and stepped out of the driver's seat. Dabi joined him, wearing a hoodie and face mask to hide his appearance.

"Stay in the car, squirt." Dabi told Kota who frowned.

"What, how come?" Kota glared.

"We need a look out." Ace offered with a practiced smile. "Sit in the driver's seat and if you see police or suspicious activity beep the horn twice."

"Sounds stupid, but okay." He climbed into the driver's seat and grabbed the wheel pretending to steer.

"Good boy," Ace chuckled and winked at Dabi who sighed heavily. "Let's go."

They rounded the building to the entrance, and Ace held up a hand narrowing his eyes on the two guards.

"This is it, those masks are the staple of Shie Hissaikai. All their members wear them." Ace pointed out.

"Sounds suffocating," Dabi sneered. "Well at least we have the right place. You sure you want me along? The note said to come alone, they may get hostile."

"If my theory is correct and Karma is here waiting for us, then we don't have to worry about such things."

"...and if your theory is wrong?" Dabi questioned.

"Then we're both gonna die." He joked and casually strolled up, with Dabi slumping after him. "Hello!" He greeted the two guards. "I'm here for my meeting with your leader." He held up the note in question. "Is he inside?"

"Yes, Overhaul is waiting, but you were specifically instructed to come alone. Who is this?" The guard held up a gunt pointing it at Dabi. Ace quickly got in the path holding up his hands.

"I know, I know, my bad, but I know for a fact your boss will want to meet him. Why don't you let him know what's going on and confirm. If the boss doesn't want to meet him then I'll leave him out here with you. Deal?"

"Humph fine…" The guard brings up a receiver. "Hey Boss, Ace is here but he's brought someone with him."

_It's not someone from the league is it? _

"I don't think know… guy's wearing a face mask and hoodie, but he's got some pretty gruesome scars."

Inside Izumi overheard the call and immediately thought "Tomura" and sneered. Her first instinct was to tell the guard to go away, but she thought better of it. Her sneer grew into a sinister smile and she laughed into the comsystem.

"_Let him in, if he makes any wrong moves I'll deal with him personally." _

"Alright," The guard returned putting the com away. "Boss says you can join in, but you're to behave yourself. One false move and you can consider yourself trash."

"Fine…" Dabi grunted, silently relieved. The doors opened, and the two walked in having crossed the first hurdle. The second and much larger one stood behind Chisaki looking intimidating and beastly. "Damn… we really are gonna die."

Izumi watched the two enter from her position above. With the limited lighting she made out the slouched figure in all black and wondered why Ace thought to bring Tomura. Had he been manipulated? Did Tomura twist the events that had happened in Musutafu? She needed to know why he was here. She leaned back in her seat and spoke calmly and coldly over the comlink to Overhaul feeding him his line.

"Welcome Keijiro, villain name, Ace." Overhaul spread his arms out in welcome. "I trust there was no problems finding this place."

"Good Evening, Overhaul." Ace waved a hand stopping a good ten feet away. "No issues at all, and I thank you for inviting me."

"I did invite you, but I don't recall inviting him." Overhaul pointed accusingly at Dabi. He heard the spite in Izumi's voice and had to hold in his laughter. "May I ask why you brought this traitor with you?"

"This man is no traitor…" Ace put a hand on Dabi's shoulder. Dabi turned his head, not liking the scrutiny in which this Overhaul guy was observing. "He was merely protecting the woman he loves. As for why he's here he has an avid interest in the topic."

"Tch I just bet…Tomura did twist the truth." Izumi clicked her tongue at that and tapped her fingers testily on the dashboard. "If he really expects me to believe that he's a fool." She returned to the task at hand. "Carry on with the script, Chisaki, I'll intercede if I have anything to add."

"Alright then…" Overhaul rubbed the back of his neck. "This may get a little awkward, but let's get right to the point. You're here because you're looking for Karma, am I right?"

"That's right… the letter you delivered states that you know where she is… but considering Karma is the only one that knows about that particular address I'm going to assume you're housing her."

"Indeed I am, and I plan on keeping her there. She'll be of great use to me." Chisaki boasted.

"She doesn't belong to you." Dabi's voice rang low and angry. If this guy thought he could use Karma the same way Tomura did, he had another thing coming. At that moment he didn't care whether he had a quirk or not, he'd find a way to kill the bastard.

"She doesn't belong to you either." Chisaki retorted. "Karma has her own mind and heart, and thanks to the league's betrayal has kindly offered it to me. She only gave me three requests to fulfill. The first was to assist her in controlling her new abilities, the second was to provide her with a new identity, costume, and support items, and the third was to find the only two people she still trusts and convince them to join our side."

"I'm loyal to Karma, and Karma only." Ace told him. "If this is what she really wants then I want to hear it from her mouth, not yours."

"I realize this is a little awkward what with your friend here for this…"

"It's not awkward at all…" Ace narrowed his eyes. "I would have told you the same thing whether I was alone or not. The man next to me shares my sympathies, and we will not have-"

"LIAR!" Izumi's hurt voice rang out through the warehouse halting the conversation. She jumped from the second floor landing and held up a gun pointing it at the hooded figure she believed to be Tomura. Tears spilled down her cheeks, and the goggles of the mask fog up, hazing her vision "I don't believe a single word you just said. This man doesn't love Karma! He only loves himself!"

"Oi, the hell are you," Chisaki stepped to her but she stepped forward, and closer to her target. "Ah shit. You've pissed her off."

"Whoa, put the gun down miss." Ace tried to step in front of Dabi but Dabi shoved him out of the way. "What are you doing."

"Let her talk. Let her vent." He instructed and turned to the mask woman. "Go on…"

"Karma gave up everything to help the league. Her dreams, her friends, everything and you lot BETRAYED HER!" She tried to hold the gun steady by grasping it in both hands now. "You forced her to fit your mold, to become one of you in order to gain your trust and loyalty… but you still abandoned her when she needed you most!"

"You're right…" Dabi closed his eyes remembering how hard Izumi had tried to fit in, how she went against the grain of who she was just to please him and the others. He lowered his head in shame. "We all betrayed her, we were all cowards and put her in a position she didn't want to be in. Which is exactly why I came… I don't want Karma… no I don't want Izumi to be manipulated into being something she's not."

His voice was all wrong, Izumi thought and her heart skipped. She could hear the tears in them, and yet he was so calm. This wasn't like Tomura at all. The gun lowered a little.

"Please…" Ace pleaded with sympathy. "Let us see her. We want to apologize for what we've done, and give Karma our-"

"Apologize?" Izumi whispered and grit her teeth her gun raising again. "You want to APOLOGIZE!?" FLames erupted from her skin and hair turning her into a walking inferno. Chisaki and the others backed away, and the mask Izumi wore snapped free as the leather bindings disintegrated. Both Ace and Dabi look in awe as Izumi's furious face came into view, highlighted by the brilliant blue flames. "Thanks to you my best friend is Quirkless! I'll NEVER forgive you for what you've done to Dabi!"

"Wait, IZUMI!" Ace tried to stop her, but the gun went off. Dabi took the hit to the chest and fell back, his hood falling off revealing his face. Izumi's own eyes went wide and the flames died as Dabi went down.

"D-Dabi?"

"Ow! Shit that hurt!" Dabi held his chest and looked for any blood. "What the hell was that about?"

Izumi stumbled forward, dropping the gun and running to him. She collapsed and hugged him, tears flying down her cheeks as she cuddled into him.

"It's you! It's you! Dabi!"

"Yeah it's me, jesus Izumi what was with the charade?" He held her and pulled down his face mask.

"Damn it what were you thinking coming here dressed like that?" She sobbed into his shoulder. "I thought you were Tomura, I could have killed you!"

"Not with that weapon… what kind of bullets don't even leave a bruise?" He questioned, pulling back long enough to look down at the broken bullet shell.

"Let's just say be glad you're already quirkless." She kissed his cheek and held on again. "Thank god… thank god you're alright. I've missed you."

"Mmm…" Dabi held onto her laying his forehead on her shoulder. "Me too, Izumi."

"So… what the hell just happened?" Mimic questioned jumping down to join Chisaki and the rest of the crew. "Are they on our side or not?"

"Oh, right…" Izumi wiped her tears and stood up, helping Dabi onto his feet as well. "Sorry for the charade. I wanted to be sure Ace would be up to joining… but it seems you guys have reservations."

"We do, but if this is really what you want, Karma, then we'll follow you no matter what." Ace knelt in front of her. "Like I told your friend there, I'm loyal to you, and only you. I brought Dabi here because he wants to remain at your side, the same as me."

"It would seem the ball is in your court, Karma." Overhaul told her and spread his arms out to his people. "Now that you've been reunited with your trusted friends will you leave and pursue your venture? Or will you join forces with me and achieve both our goals?"

Izumi looked around at the Shie Hassaikai, then back to Ace and Dabi. With her quirk she could probably escape with them and be free of any ties… but somehow she'd found a purpose with Shie Hassaikai. She believed in Chisaki's philosophy, supported his goal, and had grown to like him.

With a smile she turned to face Overhaul and held her hands out.

"You've completed your half of the bargain, Overhaul. I'd be an ass if I didn't return the favor."

**~Two days later~**

Izumi was shocked to find out Kota had been the one to spring Dabi out of the hospital. Their reunion was sweet and rewarding, with hugs and tears, but also reservations. She didn't want to involve Kota in anymore danger, but the boy had already buried himself in neck deep. For now she decided to make herself and Dabi his guardians, and would keep him out of trouble for the time being.

Ace returned home with the instructions to continue working as a double agent. He would feed Karma information through the P.O. box they'd set up, and alert her when an opportunity to gain funding would be available.

As for Dabi the two of them had a sweet reunion of their own, making use of the private bedroom Chisaki had provided and christening the brand new bed inside. Safe and content in his arms, Izumi awoke feeling better than she'd had in weeks, and decided it was time to take that next step.

"Alright, time to stop tiptoeing around the subject, Overhaul." She slapped a hand on the coffee table staring into his eyes. She'd destroyed the mask he'd given to her before, but had grown accustomed to wearing face masks to appease his need for cleanliness. "You said there was one other reason you want to marry me. I want to know what it is."

Overhaul stopped shining the gun in his hand and eyed the one she'd placed on the table.

"Remove your hands, you're not wearing gloves." When she only glared at him he stopped shinig and sighed heavily "Fine… Considering you've all but moved in, I suppose it is time." He stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Follow me."

"Alright." She got up, and for once just obediently followed behind him. He took her down the long stretch of halls of his underground lair. The complex format that made her think of a labyrinth with all it's winding pathways, and connected rooms. Near the bottom of the underground facility a single man stood guard at a door and bowed his head as the two approached.

"She's been quiet as a mouse, sir. No trouble," he told them.

"She?" Izumi murmured curiously.

"Good, now step aside." Overhaul jerked his head and the guard nodded quickly getting out of the way.

Overhaul pulled out a set of keys, unlocking and opening the door before stepping inside. When Izumi joined him, she was curious to see the room of a child, all white and girly with frills, pretty posters, and stuffed animals.

"What is-" she started to ask and got cut off.

"Eri…" Chisaki called out. "Come out of hiding. We have a guest."

Izumi's ears picked up the sound of a whimper before her eyes latch onto a little girl who came out from the closet and looked up frightened and shaking.

"Karma, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Eri." He stepped back, giving them a clear path to each other. "Eri, this is Izumi Midoriya. Greet her properly."

"N-N-" Eri stuttered giving wary looks to her father before bowing her head but not moving from the door. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure is mine…" A daughter, Izumi thought with awe. So this was the "other person" Overhaul cared for. Filled with affection for the gentle thing she knelt down to her level and held out a hand. "Come on out, Eri. Don't worry, there's nothing to be afraid of out here."

Eri took another wary glance at Chisaki before stepping out and walking to her. She took Izumi's outstretched hand and Izumi got a good look at her. She saw the way the girl was dressed, a white shirt that resembled a medical gown, bandages on her arms and legs. An immediate need to protect the girl pulsed through her.

"It's okay, Eri." Izumi smiled at her and gently took her hand. It hurt her heart to see the way she flinched back from her touch. Did she have the same fear of intimacy as her father? To show she meant no harm Izumi gently stroked her knuckles and pet the top of her head. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

Eri glanced back up at her, eyes wide with a mix of fear and wonder. The petting sensation was different than what the others tried to do. Who was this woman?

Izumi saw her relax a little and her gentle smile came out more naturally. The sheer kindness of her smile immediately had Eri's attention.

"You know I think Kota is about her age." She told Chisaki. " I think the two of them would make great friends."

"Eh? Friends?" Eri's eyes blinked as she murmured that word. It was as if she'd never heard it before. Izumi's eyes narrowed on Chisaki who shrugged it off.

"She's got a powerful quirk that she has no control over. I keep her here to prevent any accidents." He told her.

"I see, but everyone needs a friend, Chisaki." Izumi pointed out and made him grunt in irritation. What she needed, he thought mentally, was someone who could teach her manners and obedience. Reigning in his temper her spoke calmly.

"What she needs is a mother." Chisaki told her and had Eri looking up distraughtly. Izumi scowled and had him sighing. "I'm not a great parent, I don't know anything about raising girls and she's too much of a handful. She would feel more… at ease with you here." He wanted to stop there but could see that she was still annoyed. "... and I guess since you've taken on Kota, he'd make a good playmate for her as well."

"I'm a bit young to be a mother…" Izumi thought of her own mother, and lowered her head in shame. She didn't think she could ever live up to that high expectation. "...but I can see that she needs a more female influence in her life." She picked the girl up holding her gently against her chest as she stood. Eri, surprised by the sudden hold started to pull away, but the softness and gentleness of it had her cuddling in instead. Chisaki saw this, and felt a sense of victory in his mind that Eri had taken to her immediately.

"You'll be good for her. Have you decided on your verdict?" He hesitantly put a gloved hand on Eri's head. The girl flinched again, whimpering. "You said that if I helped you save your friend you'd consider it a wedding gift...but I want confirmation. Are you willing to commit to me, my plan, and my organization?

"I'll have to get Dabi and Kota on board…" Izumi told him, keeping Eri safe against her even as she stared him down. "I do have some stipulations. Since we're treating this as an arranged marriage we should both have requests that the other party should agree to. I'm positive we can come to a mutual arrangement that suits us both."

"Hmmm, alright." His eyes took on a wicked gleam that made Izumi a bit wary. "You're gonna be a very valuable asset to me."

"A valuable partner, Chisaki… I'm no pawn remember?" She extended her hand, Eri panicked and tried to push it down... but Izumi didn't budge. Chisaki eyed the hand, shrugging off a shudder. For a long moment he contemplated the backlash from allowing this woman to contaminate him… and decided the pros outweigh the cons. He stepped forward and clasped her hand in his.

"Fair enough, so long as you stay useful to me I can agree to those terms, wife."

"The same is extended to you…" her eyes took on a wicked gleam as she let go of his hand. "Husband."

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: Thanks so much to my readers for sticking by me! You guys are awesome. It's official! Izumi Midoriya has become…**

**Next Chapter: The Future Mrs. Overhaul**


	23. The Future Mrs Overhaul

**Midori the Queen**

**Author's Note: I'm looking at roughly another five chapters before "Midori the Queen: is completed. I have a rough outline of what I want but I'd still like fan opinions on where I should take the series next. What sort of adventures would you like to see The Queen of Villains explore? Please let me know in the comments!**

**Chapter 23: The Future Mrs. Overhaul**

She put it off for a few days, but Izumi knew she'd have to come clean to her lover. She'd just gotten out of one loveless relationship, and now was marrying into another. The difference was that Overhaul supported her relationship with Dabi, and showed no signs of jealousy or care about her at all in the sexual regard. So, no point in hiding it, she told him the truth.

"You're joking…." Touya glared at Izumi as she changed into the Kimono that was provided for her. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Wish I was…" Izumi grumbled struggling with the weight of the fabric. She didn't really wear kimonos, but it was the traditional garb of the Yakuza women. After signing the official contact that held all their stipulations, Overhaul thought it pertinent for her to meet the rest of the clan and be presented as his future wife. In order to make the right impression she needed to fit the part. "...but that's the price I'm paying for his loyalty."

"I've spent the last few days researching this clan, Izumi. They're small time trash, with only a single reputation and that's Kai Chisaki. He's got a bad rep even amongst the other clan members, and he is using you to get what he wants. You should just-" He started to protest, but she turned her head giving him a sharp look.

"They may only be a Yakuza group but they've got uses, Touya. A lot of their members, particular Overhaul's circle, have powerful quirks. They've relationships and connections with the underground as well as the above ground news circuit. I can keep tabs on what's going on out in the world, while also working on building up revenue for us."

"That's fine and dandy, but why do you have to marry him? Why can't you just agree to support him, and we go hide out across seas for awhile?"

"Each person in this group is loyal to Overhaul. I can't just say "oh yeah I'm going to help" and not show any commitment. It's not how the Yakuza roll. This marriage is a business arrangement, one that'll benefit both sides. There'll be nothing romantic or physical about it." She tied the silk scarf over the waist grunting a little from frustration at the difficult piece of wardrobe.

"I don't care, it's still marriage. What are you gonna do if and when the heroes catch wind of who you are? The Yakuza are known for constantly being monitored by heroes, and if they find out you've joined them we're going to wind up caught and incarcerated… AGAIN!"

"Funny how you and Kai have the same argument for different sides." She smiled with affection even though he couldn't see it.

"Kai? You're on a first name basis now?" Jealousy dripped out of him, both irritating and embarrassing him.

"Yes." She fluffed her hair out and turned around adjusting the front a little. She watched his annoyed expression lighten some the effect of her attire quieting his disagreements for the moment. It made her smile. "Touya," she used his first name to add to that affection. "Relax, okay? I may be marrying him, but I don't love him."

"Then why are you? Why are we staying here and repeating the same mistake you made with Shigaraki?" His eyes took on a hurt look she hadn't expected from him. He always looked so stoic and put off that it was rare for him to show this softer side. The only other time he'd let her see him like this was when Ace had used his quirk to reveal his past, and opened up old wounds.

"I'm staying because I owe him a debt." She walked to him and took his hands in hers. "He helped me find you." She lay them on her cheeks nuzzling in, and smiled when his fingers stroked over her skin. "By doing so he helped me regain my strength, and helped me find my footing. On top of that, he's given me hope again… hope of changing the world for the better.."

"I suppose I can understand that. I owe him too for saving you and keeping you safe." He pulled her into his arms holding her protectively. "Still, what if he decides he wants more from your relationship?"

"He won't…" She pulled back and stroked his face. "Kai has a fear of being touched, and he finds the very concept of skinship disturbing. I doubt he and I will have the same connection Tomura and I did, nor will he take a shine to me. Still, he's affectionate in his own way so it won't be awkward to anyone on the outside."

"What about me?" He bent his head low to kiss on her neck whispering. "Will he allow our relationship?"

"I've put it in our stipulation. Since he can't see to my needs personally… I'll have you as my relief. He mentioned something about passing you off as my brother." She laughed when he grunted at that.

"I don't think of you as my sister." He testily shove his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"True enough, but it'll work for our cover story especially since you're so protective of me. Kota is our little brother, and we're his acting guardians. I'm hoping he and Eri could-"

"Who the fuck is Eri?" He quickly interrupted her.

"Kai's daughter, and the major reason I'm agreeing to his proposal. She can't be any older than Kota...and she's so timid. She's being abused in some way I can tell, but I'm not sure how." She trailed off when she heard footsteps outside her door. Suddenly wary that they were being watched she walked to the desk and started to write. "Chisaki wants me to act as her mother."

"He wants you to what?" He walked over to her, reading over her shoulder in an old habit they used to exchange private words.

"Chisaki wants me to marry him so I can take care of his daughter. I agreed so that I can act as a shield for Eri." She sat back, letting him read what she wrote as her fingers tap impatiently on the desk.

"_I'm going to save Eri by either improving her living situation here, or by smuggling her out. Either way I want to help her."_

Ah, Dabi thought with a quick twitch in his lips. Now it all made sense to him. He could understand her "considering" the act of marriage in terms of negotiation and getting what she wanted out of Chidaki… but for her to actually go through with the marriage there had to be legit logic behind it. Saving the girl was Izumi's goal, and she would do it even if it meant marrying a man she didn't love.

"If you're acting as a shield," He fisted his hands on her shoulders, kneading them firmly. "Then you may end up taking the brunt of the abuse."

"Mmmm I know… but I'm used to that." She murmured and closed her eyes at his massage. He started drawing letters on her skin with his fingers and thumbs. She made out the words clear as day.

"_How long?" _

"I don't know if this marriage and partnership will work, or how long it will last. Right now it's the only option we have that keeps us hidden, but productive." She started to write again.

"_If we can earn the clan's trust and find out what the source of his quirk-destroying serum is, then we may be able to separate from the clan and produce it ourselves. In the meantime I'll look out for Eri and if need be get her help from outside. Until I'm satisfied with our chance of success we have to blend in, and take the opportunities Kai has given us." _

"I suppose that works for now… but if Overhaul gets caught, and it comes down to saving you or the kid, then I'm saving you, understand?"

"I understand." She set the pen down and burned the paper to ash over the trash can. "For now I need to finish getting ready to meet the rest of the clan." She dusted her hands free and picked up a brush running it through her hair. Dabi helped her, taking the brush from her hands and running it through her curls before braiding it.

"I have one more question for you, Izumi."

"Hmmm what is it?" She felt his arms close around her, his face pressed into her neck.

"Did you mean what you said the other night?"

"The other… oh." She thought back several days ago, when they'd made love in his room. There'd been no light but for the candles they'd lit, and she remembered watching the glow dance in his blue eyes as he filled her. The ambience and gentleness of the moment had the words just spilling out of her.

"_Touya… I love you." _

Remembering it now she was so embarrassed by how weak and taken she'd been. She always seemed to lose herself when it came to sex. This time she'd let out her feelings for him without ever meaning to. She had wanted to savor that feeling, to take her time exploring it before confessing it out loud. Now her emotions were out in the open and she was afraid of losing the love she'd just found.

"I-" She started to speak, but was quickly interrupted by the door slamming open. Kota slumped in wearing an obi, his trademark hat traded for a bright red bandana.

"Touya, the boss guy wants to see us." He frowned at the older man, and sneered at his attire. "Is that what you're wearing for the meeting? Are you stupid?"

"I was under the impression I wasn't invited." Touya shrugged off the insult, but scowled at the fact they'd been interrupted. "I'm a wanted criminal with an easily recognizable face. It would be best for me to lay low."

"Well that's not what the boss wants. Hurry up and change into one of these stupid outfits and let's-" He grunts a little when Izumi suddenly ruffles his hair. He shakes her off blushing. "What's that for?"

"You can't fool me, Kota-kun." She smiles brightly and had Kota fidgeting in place. "You like being part of the Yakuza. It's quite adorable."

"I do not!" He blushed redder and hides his face behind his arms. "I'm just showing respect is all! I don't actually enjoy wearing this stupid get up, or talking with the old farts, or stuff like that. It's all stupid." The more he tried to deny it, the more obvious it became. She couldn't help it, Izumi laughed bright and happily that Kota seemed to be fitting in with the misfits of Chisaki's clan.

Heads from down the hall turned towards the bright and happy sound with quizzical brows. They'd never heard such a sound behind these walls. Any laughter was always full of animosity, sarcasm, or spite. This laughter felt genuine and pure.

"Who are they again?" One member whispered curiously.

"Apparently guests of Chisaki… they arrived last night." Another answered.

"Who would have thought that that stiff Chisaki had friends like that." They continued to whisper and contemplate with the other members as the lot of them gathered in the meeting room.

Izumi, Touya, and Kota all joined Overhaul in the meeting room. He gave a nod of acknowledgement to all three then held up packets for each of them.

"Your official documents representing your new identity." He passed them out and Izumi eyed the picture and her own face.

"Karma Carson… a 19 year old american?" She raised a brow and got a shrug from Overhaul.

"You speak English don't you? I figured you could pull it off." He explained.

"Kou Carson, age 8. We don't even look alike, how are we gonna pass off as siblings?" Kota raised a brow at that. Overhaul passed Izumi contact lenses which she put in without question.

"You all will have the same father who works in the American Mafia, but each of you has a different mother. I'm giving Karma and Touya red contacts so you will all have the same eye color.

"That's fine except for one thing…" Touya dropped the file on the table Overhauls team had taken a young Enji Todoroki picture and altered it with red eyes and slimmer features. "This doesn't look a thing like me."

"Not yet it doesn't…" Overhaul removed his glove and before Touya could even move he closed the gap and scratched his arm. His body bulged and twisted Dabi screaming as the pain caused him to explode and Izumi dropped her documents looking shocked… Kota jumped back in fear looking white as a ghost.

"What did you just DO!?" Furious Izumi"s hair scorched blue and she looked ready to dust him where he stood.

"Calm yourself, wife...he's not dead." He wiped the blood from his hands shuddering off the disgust as Dabi's body slowly started to shift and form. There was a groaning and roaring sound coming from the mass of blood and muscle before it starts to take humanoid shape again.

Izumi stare in complete shock as Touya's body slowly and grotesquely put itself back together… but differently. His build was more substantial, his face attractive and youthful, hair a bright sunburnt color, and most surprising of all his skin was smooth and perfect as if he'd never been burned.

"Touya?!" Breathless and shaken up Izumi went to her knees and took his face. "Is that you?"

"Yeah...yeah…" he set his hands over hers and looked into her eyes. "What in the hell just happened to me?"

"He-he-he…" Kota pointed an accusing finger at Overhaul his body shaking like a leaf. "He blew you up! I thought you were dead!"

"My Quirk can deconstruct and reconstruct matter including human cells. There's a time limit, but I am able to kill someone and quickly bring them back if I so choose." Overhaul said, his voice dripping with intimidation. He stepped to Toya and offered him up the contacts. Dabi's intial flinch made him smirk. "Without a quirk you're no good in a fight. Still Karma tells me you're good at intel and surveillance. I can't use you to max capacity unless I completely rewrite your identity. Forgive me if it was a bit… messy."

Touya clenched his teeth and snagged the contacts standing up on unsteady legs. He found a mirror hanging on the wall, and took a few moments to really let it sink in that what he was seeing was his actual face.

"I'm gonna have to dye my hair again." He spoke after taking a calm breath. He slipped the contacts in and ran fingers through the red hair sneering. "I look too much like the old man with my old face."

"Wear a bandana for now." Overhaul tossed him one along with a face mask and then gave one to Kota as well. "Both of you will wear these from now on. Can't have you breathing in filthy air." Kota hesitated before accepting his, being careful not to touch the man. "For this meeting you both are to be silent unless addressed. Keep your characters in mind, and avoid confrontation with any of the members until deliberations have ended."

"Deliberations?" Touya questioned after setting his mask in place.

"I have overall jurisdiction in this place and by my word you're a member. However, if you want to fit in and be a true member of the Hassaikai you'll need to get approval from the clan, which requires a vote, and a special ritual."

"So that's what all this is about?" Izumi questioned and motioned to her outfit. "...and the attire is signicant to the ritual?"

"The old way, is the proper way..." Or at least in this case it is, Chisaki thought to himself as he watched Izumi absorb this information as she was keen to do. In truth, this was a test for her. He wanted to see if she could sway the bulk of the clan to accept her despite her villainous background. The majority of the clan didn't see him as the true head, but merely a stand in for their comatose leader. Despite his best efforts to appear professional and able his own charisma was limited in getting the other members to trust him.

If Karma could pull off what he could not… then total control of the Shie Hassaikai would finally be his. He held out his hand to her, shirking back a shudder as he escorted her into the hall where the majority of the clan restlessly waited.

They took their spots at the head of the hall, Overhaul going against tradition a little by standing between them and the people behind him.

"Thank you all for coming. I've brought you all here today to celebrate and receive your blessings." There was a momentary pause as collected voices huddled in whispering curiously. "I've decided to marry, and the woman you see behind me is my future bride."

Izumi bowed graciously to the group.

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you. My name is Karma, and I look forward to joining this family."

"Did she just say Karma…"

"Oi isn't that?"

"Didn't she die?"

"What's the meaning of this, Chisaki?!" An angered clansmen stood up. "Do you mean to tell me that this whore you've been harboring is The infamous Queen of Villains?!"

"That's correct," Overhaul pointed a finger like a gun at him. "... and you'll watch your mouth when addressing her. Villain or not I am marrying this woman and you will show her respect."

"What the hell were you thinking bringing her here?" Another stood up in protest. "What if the police find out she's here? We'll all be arrested and the clan will be forced to disband."

"I don't see the problem." Overhaul shrugged. "So long as you all agree to keep her true identity a secret the world will never know that my wife and the infamous Karma are one and the same."

"Help me to understand something, boss." A voice from the back spoke up, one Izumi recognized from Overhaul's circle. "Just how does this in any way help the Shie Hassaikai. From the way I see it she's nothing but a burden."

"He's got a point." An older gentleman spoke up now and stood with the help of his cane. "I've tolerated you bringing in these thugs…" he motioned to the group in the back, the circle Overhaul called The Eight Bullets. "Because each one has served a purpose and made themselves useful… but this woman is a different story entirely. She's the most wanted criminal in the world, and a traitor at that. I see no worth in keeping her here."

"I'm the traitor?" That pushed one of Izumi's buttons and her hair flickered for a moment but she managed to maintain composure.

"That's right… I know all about you Queen of Villains. You backstabbed and betrayed every person you've ever aligned to. You took the hero course in order to discover All Might's weakness, you killed your own mentor and siezed control of the league of villains. You made an alliance with the hero killer Stain, only to kill him in the streets. Now you want to abandon your own league and join with us? I'm sorry but I don't see any value in your loyalty at all."

"The old man's right!" A more passionate and fiery member spoke up in rage "I'd rather die than welcome this backstabbing harlot into our group!"

"That can be arranged…" Overhaul removed his glove, his temper rising and his eagerness to shut the loud mouth up only heightened his instinct to kill.

"Wait, Kai…" Izumi held up her hand and stood up. Though her own temper flared up she remained composed and spoke up. "I'm aware that I will have to earn the trust as well as make myself valued here... and it will take more than just words in order to do so. I would like to prove my worth, by giving them an example of my power."

"You've more than proven your worth by providing us with the funds for-"

"That was a small donation in reward for your kindness, Kai." She turned her eyes to him. "If I'm to be a part of the Shie Hassaikai, then I must show them what lengths I will go to, in order to earn the respect of my peers."

**~Training Hall~**

"So you are considered the strongest of the Eight Bullets am I right?" Karma spoke out to Rappa. "At least in terms of combat ability."

"That's right, girl." He cracked his knuckles. "Only person I've ever lost to is Overhaul, and that streak ain't about to be broken by a pint sized princess like you."

"That's Queen, and you may want to rethink your methods a little before coming at me single palmed." She eyed Tengai, a quiet and Buddhist type man whom stood silently behind Rappa. "You're his partner are you not? Why don't both of you come at me at once." She motioned them forward. "It will be a far better example of my capabilities."

"Tch… who in the hell does that bitch thinks she is?" Rappa sneered cracking his knuckles.

"Proceed with caution Rappa," Tengai warned, speaking calmly. "She may look like an innocent child but that girl is labeled as one of the most dangerous villains today."

"Shut up, I don't care what she says I don't need your help. I'm going to pound some humility into this bitch." He stepped forward rolling his shoulders, slowly and raising his fists up in preparation. "...and when this is done, Overhaul is next."

"Eager, isn't he? Are you sure you want to watch this Kota?" Izumi called out to the group that watched. Kota's gaze met hers and he watched as she calmly adjusted the sleeve of her kimono so that her hands were freed up. "I know how you feel about unnecessary violence."

"It's fine, this is different. These guys won't accept you unless you prove yourself right? Besides this guy is just like Muscular, hurting and killing people for his own satisfaction. Put him in his place." Kota grit his teeth.

"Mmmm I'm not sure this fight will solve his hunger for violence, but at the very least I can shut the mouths of those that look down on me." She clenched her fist, flaming dancing around her fingers briefly for a moment. "Including this arrogant jerk."

"Don't underestimate him, Karma." Touya warned. "Arrogant or not, the guy's got experience that you don't."

"True enough…" Karma's smile turned a little sadistic. "Which will leave an even bigger impression."

"Fighters ready?" Overhaul lifted his hand up in the air, and he could feel all the eyes behind him hone in on the competitors. "BEGIN!"

"I'll make this quick!" Rappa beat his fists together then unleashed a flurry of punches. "Go to hell!"

The rocket fast punches sent air pockets of power rushing by. One barely zipped by Izumi's cheek before she brought up her barrier and blocked the remaining gingerly touched her cheek where she'd felt the impact, and wondered why the force she'd felt hadn't damaged her at all. She'd expected to feel blood or at least the sting of a bruise there.

During her training she'd taken on far lesser members and come out without a scratch. She thought it was because her own abilities, and her aura had protected her… but now she was starting to wonder if something else had come into play. She'd have to test it out.

She held a hand out feeling the energy bouncing off her aura and she let out a shudder as she prepared herself for what was to come next.

"I can feel the power locked behind the years of training and harnessing your ability… I can see why you have such arrogance in your abilities as a fighter." She released the barrier taking the full force of his blows, letting them smack up against her and send her skidding back on her heels before she brought up the barrier again. Despite having the wind knocked away she hadn't felt any pain, not a single broken bone, cut, or even a bruise. Her smile widened. "... and yet I'm still dissatisfied."

"What just happened?" A clan member murmured. "Did that glow she's emitting stop the punches? She didn't take any damage."

"Her third quirk…" Overhaul murmured and felt a tingle of excitement from the spectacle. "She's finally discovered it.

**Quirk: Fortitude: Her body can withstand heavy amounts of physical damage. So long as she is aware of the attack, her body will automatically react and defend against it, which is why "Cremation" doesn't harm her. Things like sneak attacks and surgery do not apply.**

"Well now…" Izumi tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I think I've seen all I need to." She slapped her hands together, heat building and then coming free from her palms. She set loose a large blast of fire, Tengai immediately brought up his barrier to protect himself and Rappa. When the flames and smoke cleared Izumi had vanished.

"Where did she…" Rappa looked around frantically through the crowd. He heard a thud above him and turned his head up to see Izumi floating above them pressing her hands against an invisble wall.

"Ah I see now…" Izumi laughed looking down at her prey."Your barrier is much more structured than mine and you don't need nearly as much energy to produce it. However-" Her eyes sharpen and her grin spread wide. Aura pulsed from her hand, her hair sprouting flames as the energy beat harder and faster until the dome finally began to crack under the pressure. "Unlike mine, you can't strengthen the barrier's efficiency with your own power and energy. And against someone like me, it's downright useless." She brought up her fist surrounding it in her aura. She let out a scream as she punched that fist right through the dome and released a blaze of fire immediately after to encompass her prey and fill up dome. Tengai and Rappa both scream in pain as they bodies catch fire. Tengai lowered the barrier, the flames dispersing out and free now allowing him to roll on the ground and ease the burn.

Izumi landed gracefully atop the flames, her kimono catching fire but she calmly pat it out. She stepped through the inferno stopping in front of Rappa who had curled up into a ball to protect himself but to no avail. She pressed a foot against his mask slowly crushing it underfoot.

"Checkmate."

"Strong… so strong…" Shin stare in pure astonishment at the young beauty silhouetted by her own fire. "These two were pro fighters, and she's only a teenager. How is it possible that she's able to endure Rappa's punches and overpower Tengai's strong quirk?"

"It's because she was bred to be a weapon." Overhaul spoke up his eyes taking in the sight and grinning ear to ear from behind his mask. "All for One had decided Tomura Shigaraki would be his successor, but knew there were gaps in his capabilities. He saw the raw talent of Izumi's mind and decided to turn her into a weapon Shigaraki could use. He cultivated her natural talent then trained her body to pair with it. Give her a couple of quirks with wide versatility and behold..." He stretched his hand towards Izumi who now turned to him with the sweetest smile one her face. "A weapon of mass destruction."

"Doesn't this just prove the fact that she goes against what the boss wants?" One of the underlings looks uneasy at the display. "In the end she's just villain, isn't she?"

"On the contrary," Izumi corrected as she approached the crowd. "It's because I was bred to be a weapon, that I rebel against the very concept that gave me creation." Behind her Overhaul used his own quirk to restore Rappa and Tengai's bodies back to normal. It was the perfect backdrop for her speech. "Many people have quirks that have given them grief. In my former circle I had comrades who were shunned from society, used, abused, or cast away. It's because society only values us by our quirks, and what we can do with them."

"Those times are changing," Overhaul spoke up now and stepped up behind Izumi setting his hands on her shoulders. The men watched wide eyed that he neither flinched nor broke out from the contact. "This woman is to thank for it. It is her voice that swayed All Might's heart, and brought forth a time of change. It is her strength that stood against the villains who sought to destroy the world she was trying to build. I've brought her here because she hares my vision, and together we will revert everything to the way it used to be. We are going to create a world without quirks, a world where power comes from hard work, determination, and intelligence! A world where the Yakuza will once again reign supreme!"

There were some cheers, the hype of the moment stirring a good portion of men to grab onto Chisaki's concept. Still Karma could see the other apprehensive faces and she spoke up once again.

"I realize that many Yakuza now a days just want to reside in peace… but there's no pride in that. All you're doing is bowing to the masses and that's not what the Yakuza is about. The history of the Yakuza stem from proud families and clansmen who cherish the bonds they have with each other. It stems from brothers, sisters, and friends joining together, and working hard to earn the power they gain. It stems from strong and smart individuals who do whatever it takes to protect what's theirs." She stepped forward and away from Chisaki, a small yet intimidating woman staring down a group of men, most of which who dwarfed her. "I promise you, gentlemen, that if you accept me I will protect this clan no matter what. I will bring you wealth again, I will give you back the dignity you've lost… and I will fight any and all who threaten to tear you down!"

It was the final word that took away any doubts. The men stood together cheering and raising their fists in celebration to her. When they all returned to the meeting room, She, Touya, and Kota went through the ritual to bring them into the Shie Hassaikai ranks, by sipping from the glass of sake to unify their bonds.

"With that it's done." Chisaki held a hand over Izumi who knelt on the pedestal looking out over the clan with dignity and pride. "I present to you my bride, and the future matron of the Shie Hassaikai."

"Karma! Karma! Karma! Karma!" With her villain name being chanted through the halls, echoing and bellowing until it rumbled like thunder, Izumi felt power seep into her, and the familiar joy of acceptance by those she considered her family.

The Shie Hassaikai was now her family… and this time she would NOT be betrayed.

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: Long time no see faithful readers! Sorry this update took so long to cook up, but I got hit by a brainstorm and have been fighting back and forth between plot points. I hope my adoring fans will help me cultivate the best path for our Queen. Be sure to leave your opinions in the comments!**

**Next Chapter: Eri's Trust **


	24. Eri's Trust

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 24: Eri's trust**

All in all being the future bride of a Yakuza had major perks. Once Izumi had earned the trust and respect of the members they treated her like royalty. For the most part the men were sweet and polite to her. Some feared her which was just as fine, and all referred to her as either Lady Karma, or Lady Izumi depending on the circle. They waited on her hand and foot, taught her the general customs and practices of women in her station such as making tea from scratch, and how to properly receive guests. They even taught her new games such as Shogi and Karuta.

With obstacle one completed Izumi thought it was high time that she and Eri spent some quality time together. The girl would be her responsibility from now on and she wanted to earn her trust and friendship. Just because she had to fill in as a mother figure didn't necessarily mean she needed to act like a mama. She would try befriending the girl first; get to know her, take her and Kota out for ice cream, and just go from there.

She sent Touya and Kota out for clothes and other items she'd need for the outing. After that she talked a few of the clan members to keep Chisaki busy with business so he wouldn't interrupt their time together. Once she had everything in place she snagged the key to Eri's room from Chisaki's office and made her way downstairs.

"Eri?" She gently knocked on the door and peeked her head into the bedroom. The girl jolted up from her bed staring through the dark room and at Izumi's silhouette. "Its okay, it's just me. May I come in?"

The girl whimpered a little, holding her chest as the fear made her heart skip and shake against her ribs. Still she nodded, and Izumi stepped in closing the door behind her.

This woman, Eri thought as she gave Izumi a once over, was different from the others. Her touch and voice were so kind and polite. It wasn't forced or fake. She sat upright as Izumi approached, and peeked warily at the bag she carried.

"Thanks, we didn't really get the chance to talk the last time I was here." She held up her hand, waiting for Eri's permission before gently petting her hair. The touch was so soft and gentle that Eri's face softened to a wondered look rather than a frightened one. "Kai said I'm supposed to be taking on the role of your mother...but I don't want you to force yourself to think of me like that."

"Are you…" she spoke softly and meekly. "Are you really going to marry him?"

"I am… but you don't have to worry about me Eri." She took her hands warming them up between hers. "I know you're not happy here. I'd like to know why… but I understand if you don't want to say anything."

Eri flinched and shook her head violently.

"I don't… I don't like it when he's angry."

"He's a pretty scary guy when he's angry… but I'll work on that." She smiled. "I'm here to help, Eri. I'd like to start with us being friends." She stood up and sat next to her rubbing her back. "Do you think that would be okay?"

"Friends?" She nervously played with her hands, a habit Izumi remembered having as a kid whenever she got nervous or didn't know what to say. "What do friends do?"

"Well they do all kinds of things. They tell each other stories, they play games, go exploring, shopping…"

" I don't know any good stories," Eri quickly cut her off, her voice shaking and body curling up into a ball. "... and I'm not allowed to do those other things. I'm not supposed to leave my room unless he says so."

"Kai left me in charge of you, Eri." She tucked hair out of her face. He wants you to be more comfortable here. He doesn't know how to raise kids, doesn't know what they want or need. It's my job to make you happy. So if I say we should go out." She picks up the bag and pulls out a long sleeve sundress and hat as well as a pair of boots and tights. "Then we're going out. If anyone has a problem with it, then they'll have to deal with me."

"No…" Eri grabbed her arm shaking her head. "No you can't disobey him, he'll get mad!"

"Trust me Eri…" She stood her up and held the dress against her. "It'll be fine. Now come on, let's get you dressed. I can't wait for you to meet Kota."

A few minutes later Izumi had Eri all dressed up, the girl played with the hat and looked around nervously as the two of them walked through the underground and up to the main floor. As they breached the secret entrance and stepped out into the house Kai came down the hall and stopped.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Good morning to you, Kai." Izumi took Eri's hand, gripping it firmly so she wouldn't run. "Eri and I were just about to find Kota. I thought the three of us could go get some ice cream and get acquainted."

"She can't leave…" Kai pointed accusingly at Eri and made her cower behind Izumi. "If she wants ice cream then you go out and bring it back to her."

"It'll melt," Izumi narrowed her eyes at Chisaki. "Besides she needs to get out and about Kai. You can't keep her locked up here. If she doesn't get interaction with people she'll never be able to go to school and learn how to control her quirk properly."

"That's not your decision to make-" Chisaki started to argue but Izumi lifted her chin.

"Isn't it? You want me to act as her mother, and I am. I'm taking her out, we're going to get ice cream, and have some fun. She needs fun and freedom, Kai… and you need to mind your temper or she'll forever be afraid of you and of this place."

Frustrated and conflicted on how to handle the situation Kai looked at Eri then at Izumi.

"Did you forget that you're a wanted criminal? What if you're recognized while you're out? What if you get picked up by the police? What then?"

"I thought that's why you gave me a new identity." She spoke in clear english and held herself upright and polite. "I can act the part, Kai… and I need you to trust me to do what it is you've asked me to do. I will take care of Eri, I will make her happy."

Kai grunted again and he paced away and then back to her flexing his hands out, debating on what to do. Karma could block against his quirk, and could very well protect herself and Eri against any assault. On top of that, his plan was working. Her influence had already raised morale and production within his clan and they'd even gained a following from other Yakuza by word of mouth. He HAD to keep her alive.

"Fine… she can go… but I'm warning you!" He held up a finger at Izumi. "You're responsible for her. If she runs away, gets kidnapped, or anything in between don't expect me to be understanding when you return. Go in guise… you may have a plain face and have changed some but you're still recognizable. Also you're on curfew, she's to be back by nightfall. Understand?"

"It sounds like we've reached a compromise." She reached up patting the side of Chisaki's face. "I promise I'll watch over her."

"Watch over yourself while your at it." He snagged her wrist quickly prying it away from him and shuddering off her touch. It didn't bother him as much anymore… but he couldn't let the others see how this girl was affecting him. "Get going… the sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be back."

"Yes, daddy." she picked up Eri and walked past him. Eri peeked over Izumi's shoulder, stunned that he let her go. When they walked away however, she saw the look in his eyes and she clung on tighter to Izumi. Any thoughts of running away immediately dissipated.

**~Elsewhere~**

"Weeks of searching and we come up with nothing!?" Tomura smashed a beer bottle against the wall and glared down his subordinates.

"We've received intel from every spectrum: Police, Villains, Heroes, but all of them are oblivious to Karma's location." Kurogiri calmly stated despite Tomura's antics. "She and Dabi are both wanted criminals, but there haven't been any sightings or reports."

"I infiltrated the hero license exam just as you asked to see if any of Queeny's friends knew, but they're as oblivious as the rest of them." Toga pouted. "I did get some nice blood samples though."

"Fuck your blood samples, I want Karma!" Tomura sneered. "Someone has to know. Either the police are holding her and they won't share the information or another villain group has taken her hostage in order to cash in on our success. I don't care how but FIND HER!"

"May I offer some assistance in that area, My King?" Ace spoke up calmly joining the group. Tomura was up on his feet instantly.

"Ace, where the hell have you…" Tomura paused when he finally grasped what he had just said. "What have you found?"

"This…" he slid his phone across the table at him and Tomura picked it up with three fingers. "One of my contacts sent this to me ten minutes ago. He said he wasn't sure if it was actually her, but the woman in question could be a dead ringer for our missing Queen."

"Dead ringer?" Tomura tapped the play button. His eyes widened when it showed Izumi walking down the street with Kota and Eri in tow. All of them wearing hoodies and casual wear to help them blend into the crowd. As the video continued Izumi tugged down her face mask for a second to flash a smile to Eri who stare up wide eyed and awed.

Toga peeked over Tomura's shoulder and gasped.

"It does look like her; only she has green hair, and her eyes are different. She looks taller too, and where are all her pretty scars?"

"Perhaps her new allies have some kind of appearance altering quirk?" Compress suggested.

"Where was this taken?" Tomura demanded tossing the phone back at Ace who caught it on the fly.

"It's in shopping district near the heart of Yakuza territories." Ace explained. "It seems Karma may have taken shelter with one of them but there's tons of clans to choose from. It'll be hard to pin her down without-,

"Kurogiri…" Tomura held up a hand, all the information finally sobering him up. "Let's go."

"Go?" Ace questioned as Tomura and the others collected their gear.

"We're going to this shopping district and locate this woman. If it is Karma, I'm dragging her back come hell or high water."

"Are you sure you wanna do that?" Ace swallowed hard. Working as a double agent was proving difficult. Karma told him to give snippets of information to appease Tomura's interest and keep him from getting suspicious, but this wasn't the response he'd been hoping for. "It's a busy area Tomura. There's tons of heros and people who will recognize you."

"Ace has a point, boss." Twice jerked a thumb at himself. "I know the area pretty well, I'll go take a browse. People don't recognize my face as much."

"Toga and I will go as well." Compress agreed. "We're not on the radar and all of us have methods of escape if need be. Let us be your eyes on the scene."

"Fine. You've a point." Tomura irritably tapped his fingers on the table in front of him. "Find her, figure out if it's really Karma… and if she is bring her home."

"Okay, and what about the kids she's with?" Compress asked as they gathered together near the warp.

"They're dispensable." Kurogiri opened his warm, the rushing wind blowing his hair into his crazed eyes. "If they get in the way, kill them."

**~Back in the shopping District~**

A few minutes after giving his information Ace returned home and called Karma's burn phone.

"I blew it, my queen. I only meant to show him your picture not to bring a search party to your front door." He apologized wiping sweat from his brow.

"Its fine, Ace. Actually I've been kinda hoping I'd run into them somewhere along the line. This gives me an opportunity to give them all a piece of my mind." Karma retorted with a feral look in her eye.

"Are you sure that's wise considering your present company?" Ace mentioned.

"Tch," she glanced down at the two kids sitting on the bench busily eating ice cream. "You've a point. I don't want them involved in such a display… especially since choice words will be used."

"It's best if you just stay on alert. They're aware that someone matching your description is in that area, but they're unsure whether it's you. If you mingle with the crowd and do you best to avoid standing out you should be able to avoid them completely."

"Mmmm very well, that's actually a good plan. Contact Dabi and have him inform Overhaul that Tomura's gotten wind of where we're at. Knowing him he'll either come out personally or send back up. It'll give me some extra protection in case we're spotted."

"I shall do that. Take care, My Queen."

"Mmmm you too." She hung up and picked up her own cup of ice cream to spoon up what little she had left.

"You've been stupidly quiet this entire time." Kota grunted at Eri. She turned her head in his direction and flinched when he got in close. "The only words that have come out of your mouth today are hi and thank you. What's your deal?"

"Kota be nice…" Izumi scolded Kota's aggressive approach. The two of them had potential to be friends, but neither of them had interacted with other kids much before. Kota was raised in the woods with his heroic family, and Eri had been sheltered by her Yakuza family. Similar situations, but different outcomes. "She's just shy and nervous, and your tone isn't helping."

"My tone? What the hell are you talking about?" Kota turned his eyes to Eri who averted his gaze by concentrating on her ice cream. She liked the sweet and smooth flavor Izumi had chosen for her and wanted to savor it.

"I want you to be nice." She reiterated. "She doesn't have any friends or kids her age to play with back home because of the living situation. So I'm counting on you to help me protect her and be her friend, okay?" She ruffled his hair from under the bandana.

"I guess I can do that…" He grumbled some, closing his eyes and enjoying the motherly pet. He finished his ice cream and scowled a bit when Eri nipped and licked slowly at her cone. "Come on, it'll just melt if you eat it like that. Try using a spoon." He picked up the plastic spoon from his bowl, wiped it off with a napkin. He then dug it into the ice cream before shoving it in her mouth. Eri jerked back at first, ice cream getting on her face but she opened her mouth and clamped it down on the spoon blinking in confusion.

"That's not exactly what I had in mind, but I guess that works." Izumi laughed a little at the antics and tossed her own trash away. She eyed some of the kids playing on a playground across the street. The park near the shopping district was crowded with people all enjoying the pretty day. She wished she could let Eri wander and enjoy it too but thought it too soon to risk getting her involved with outside kids.

Until she knew what Eri's quirk was and how to help her control it, they'd have to take baby steps. This little outing was to give her a sense of freedom, and get away from the tense and scary atmosphere of home.

When Eri finally finished her ice cream she let both her and Kota walk in front of her away from the park and back towards the shopping district. There they poked into shop windows, took some vendor samples, and just enjoyed the busy and happy atmosphere.

Despite all the positivity, Eri remained nervous and hadn't smile once. It was a bit disheartening to Izumi that she couldn't get the girl to smile, but hoped that with time things would change. She checked the time on her cell phone and slipped her mask back into place.

"It's getting late, we should head back home." Izumi spoke up and Eri's nervous expression turned distressed instantly. She knelt down gently wiping away some of the chocolate that had lingered.

"I know you don't want to go home, Eri. I don't either, but I promise you we will do this more often. Things are gonna get better at home. Just you wait."

Eri blinked back tears and she stepped into Izumi's arms clenching onto her.

"I don't want to be alone again. Promise me you won't go."

"Oh Eri…" she hugged the girl tight to her. Tears and affection filled her eyes as she embraced the trembling little girl. "I promise. I'll stay with you as long as you need me to."

The sound of glass breaking put her on alert. She snagged Eri up and yanked Kota behind her looking ready to take on whatever came at them. Expecting Tomura she freed hand to set loose her quirk.

"STOP! Damn thief. HEROES HEY HEROES OVER HERE!" a shop keep cried out from a few blocks down.

"Hahahaha! I've done it! I've really done it! Just try and stop me!"

"Oh good grief…" Izumi relaxed and set Eri back on her feet. She looked on annoyed as a big villain ran past with a store counter, and attached register. He ignored the people and made a break for a silver truck across the street. "A strength quirk like that and this is what he chooses to do with it? How juvenile."

"Hey Izumi, a hero just showed up." Kota tugged on her sleeve when the pirate-esque hero suddenly jumped into the fray ready to take down the villain. "We should get out of here. You promised Overhaul you'd avoid heroes."

"Good idea, let's head-" she started to point down the alley but the hero in question let out a cry of pain as hes knocked from behind by a metal pole. The large villain was accompanied by three smaller ones, all of them laughing idiotically at the hero's expense.

"Not your business, Izumi…" she muttered to herself, turning her back to the scene. "Just walk away...don't get involved!"

Her eyes caught sight of the other people around her. They all were either watching the spectacle, capturing the moment on camera, or ignoring the situation altogether. Something made her her chest twinge… was that regret?

"Too bad for you hero...but you were outnumbered this time. We're Team Reservoir Dogs, and you better remember us!"

Something about that sentence paired with the actions of the people around her flipped Karma's switch. This was the problem in hero society. They brag and bark about bring the protectors of justice when thr majority of them couldn't even handle a petty thieves on their own. Fire flickered through her hair and she whirled around to the group.

"Remember you? For what? Stealing a cash register? For knocking out a D-class hero who is still wet behind the ears? Please! All of you are pathetic!" All heads looked to her as she turned to boldly stand against the gang of villains. "You've numbers and powerful quirks and yet you choose to rob a convenience store instead of doing something worthwhile. I've seen people with trash quirks that amount to more than you fools." She spat at them unable to hold in her true feelings.

Kota, seeing where this was going, pulled Eri into the alleyway to keep her out of sight.

"Izumi…" he whispered harshly. "...what happened to not getting involved?"

"Just stay back and out of sight," she whispered back, her hands clenched.

"Feh, stupid girl doesn't know greatness when she sees it. Come on you guys lets get outta here before more loser heroes show up." The driver, known as Blue, revs the engine as the other members climbed in. Karma grit her teeth and she held out her hand, the truck lifted up off the ground just enough to have the zipping tires whirl around and around without gaining tred.

"Leaving so soon? I thought you were the big bad Reservoir Dogs? You took down a hero so easily, so why not taking on someone half his size and make yourselves feel all manly?"

"Stupid bitch! Oi, yellow, shut that girl up!" Blue shouted still trying to rev the engine and make an escape.

"With pleasure!" The large villain who had taken the counter jumped off the truck and raced at Izumi. People near her saw them and began to scatter and scream in fear. The knocked out hero stirred from the noise and he lifted his head just as Yellow lifted his fist ready to pummel her.

"No don't!" He shouted, holding his gun fist up hesitating to fire his weapon in the direction of civilians. Karma in the meantime only laughed.

"Too easy..." Karma dropped the truck and her quirk wrapped around the pole laying at the hero's feet. She covered it in her energy and ducked to avoid the fist then brought the pole up smartly swinging into Yellow's gut. The tank-like villain fell to his knees wheezing and then crumbled to his side. The remaining villains in the truck were speeding off using their companions fall as a distraction to get away.

"Oh no you don't." Karma flung the pole at the retreating vehicle. It zoomed through the air and caught the back tire making it explode and the car to swerve and roll over in the street. Izumi could hear the sirens of police coming and it snapped her out of combat mode. "Damn… I guess I got carried away."

"That was amazing!" The Shopkeep rushed over taking her hands and shaking them. "You really showed those guys who's boss. I'm a total fan of yours now! What's your hero name?"

"Sorry…" she pulled her hands out of his grip and motioned the kids over to her. She picked up a trembling Eri and ruffled Kota's hair. "I'm not a hero. Just a concerned citizen."

"A normal citizen?" The hero stepped up rubbing his injured head. "That was reckless! What if you'd gotten hurt or killed taking on villains like that?"

"Oh I'm sorry, would that have added to your already guilty conscience?" She narrowed her gaze to the hero. "You stepped into the situation completely blinded.. Any idiot could see that fool wasn't working alone. It's not my fault you're stupid."

"Ah, that's my folly, but it's not your place to pick up after my mistakes."

"You're right… it's not. I did it anyway, and I came out with a far better result." She turned on her heel walking away from the crime scene. "Just goes to show you how useless most heroes really are."

_**~Down the Street~**_

"It really is her!" Twice said giddily as he danced in place having watched the entire spectacle. The police blockade prevented his group from venturing any further on the street, but the fact that they'd found Izumi and in prime condition really spoke volumes to the group's esteem. "This is amazing! THIS IS HOPELESS!" He posed as his counterpart interjected.

"Wahhh Queeny hasn't lost her touch." Toga jumped up and down just as excited. "I can't wait to tell Tomura-kun. He's gonna be so happy!"

"We should do our best to follow without being spotted… let's take our pursuit up to the rooftops." Compress suggested and scurried down an alleyway and climbed up a fire escape. The three of them leapt across the rooftops, doing their best not to get spotted by police or wandering heroes.

They found Izumi again… only this time she wasn't alone.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Overhaul snapped at her.

"I'm sorry I just got mad. Everyone was just standing around expecting heroes to help, and these losers were just eating it up. I hated it, they make people like me look bad and I refuse to be associated with it."

"On the brightside," Kota spoke up trying to help. "It doesn't look like anyone recognized her."

"In the heat of the moment it doesn't matter. What if someone took video of that and they put it together?" He scolded and had Kota cowering behind Izumi along with Eri. Izumi remained composed against Overhaul's anger and the two stood toe to toe glaring each other down. "You're implicating yourself and Eri in your personal vendetta and I can't afford to lose either of you. Playtime is over. Get back to the house, and until you can regain my trust I'm putting a guard on you at all times."

"Somewhere in that long lecture I think you're actually starting to show care." Her lips quirk when his face became more flushed than irritated. "I'll concede, considering you do have a point. I'm sorry for worrying you and causing a fuss, Kai."

"Just go… I've had enough of your trouble making spirit today." He shoved her in the direction of the house, glaring at the kids who scramble behind her. He snapped his head up to the roof having felt eyes on them.

Twice and the others quickly ducked to avoid being seen, but Twice held up a phone with a close up shot of Karma and Overhaul gracing the screen. With a few pushed buttons he sent the image directly to Tomura, and completed their mission.

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: I'm hoping to have at least one more update released before Christmas hits because I'll be swamped up til New Years. If not I'll at least attempt to write a little everyday for all my chapters including the ones for Kingdom Hearts. Happy Holidays everyone! **_

_**Next Chapter: Tomura & Team Might**_


	25. Tomura and Team Might

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 25: Tomura & Team Might**

"Well now don't they make a lovely picture." Touya complimented as he watches Izumi drawing with Eri and Kota. They sat around a table in varying positions, Izumi in proper kneeling stance calmly sketching in her notepad, Kota with his legs criss crossed and face irritable as he meticulously created little figures, and Eri timidly peeking up from her paper to admire Izumi before going back to her paper.

"What do you want?" Chisaki grunted watching as well but with an irritated expression. Izumi had been doing her job of making Eri comfortable but was giving the child more free reign than he found necessary. She'd insisted on putting Eri in proper clothes like skirts and dresses. She insisted that at least once a day Eri be allowed to play outside with Kota in the yard. She insisted that the girl be tucked in at night and read stories, and even had the gall to force him to read to her. Both parties had felt awkward.

"Just making a delivery." He handed Chisaki a manilla envelope. "Ace sent me the latest transaction of goods. The money has been put into the account Karma verified and I made sure to put together the data for your records."

"Well done, Karma was right about your usefulness." He opened the file and peeked at the contents. He'd never seem so many fucking zeroes. His mood instantly improved.

"I'd hate to ruin the mood, but I feel like I should warn you." He spoke again eyeing Izumi as she laughed at Kota's blush from her praising his artwork. "Shigaraki has discovered that Karma's been under your care. Ace has been tasked with narrowing down the field of where you could be hiding her."

"That so?" Chisaki slapped the manilla envelope against his palm. "We'll have to do something about that."

Eri glanced up from the game to look at Chisaki. Her bottom lip trembled from the wicked gleam in his eyes and her head immediately lowered. She thought of their conversation yesterday, after Kota and Izumi went to bed.

_"Do you enjoy spending time with Karma and Kota, Eri? If you want to keep having fun, and keep them alive, you're not gonna give me anymore trouble. You'll do as I say, behave when we extract the samples, and not tell anyone about the project. Is that understood?" _

All the people who had been put in charge of her before had either been killed or replaced in some way. Izumi was different from them all; genuinely kind and sweet, and enjoyed being around her. She had to protect her and behave. She wouldn't tell them what this man was doing to her. She would bear with the pain… because it was worth the reward. It was worth having this time with Izumi and Kota, it was worth finally getting the chance to feel a bit free despite the fact it would only last for a little while.

...and who knows maybe that man would change. He read to her the other night, had even tucked her in. Maybe Izumi could help her by just being with them.

"What are you drawing there Eri?" Izumi asked curiously. Eri timidly lifted the paper up. The painstaken depictions of her, and Izumi. The two of them hand in hand, a house in the background, and several other stick figures that were indecipherable.

"It's my wish…" she admitted and held the drawing out to her. "I wish that you, and me, and Kota, and everyone else here can become a family."

Izumi's heart melted at that and she eyed the picture cuddling Eri close to her.

"We will be, Eri. Very soon."

"Are you sure?" She cuddled in gripping Izumi's shirt. "I can't help but feel… like you're going to go away."

Izumi's eyes went cool and she stroked Eri's hair. She looked to Kota who returned the serious stare with one of his own. It only took that look for Izumi to realize that Kota had been thinking the same thing. Was she that unreliable?

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay right here. I made a promise to Kai, I'm going to marry him and help him lead the yakuza, and take care of you." She lay her head atop of hers. "Nothing will tear us apart." Her eyes shifted to the doorway, where Touya and Chisaki seemed to be in deep conversation. When Touya looked in her direction and then quickly avoided her direct gaze her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Nothing."

**~U.A campus~**

Due to the incident at the camp and Kamino, it was decided that all the students of U.A would be administered into the dorm program. Once moved in, the first years underwent intensive training to build up their skills and work on signature moves as well as adapt their hero costumes. This feat helped them all pass their proficiency license exam, and allowed them each a chance to undergo internships come second term.

Todoroki and Bakugo had a close shave, both of them narrowly avoiding failure. If it hadn't been for incident in Kamino neither of them would have gained the knowledge they needed to pass the final round of testing.

Todoroki got to see first hand how heroes cooperated and negotiated when he assisted in helping Tsukauchi and the police section off the area during All Might's fight. It gave him the humility to let the student known as Inasa take centerstage against the mock Villains while he played support.

Bakugo in the meantime had gained patience from assisting the medical teams. He helped to pull out the wounded from rubble, learned first hand how to handle various types of injuries and gained a little bedside manner. He still lost points for his demeanor, but he worked well with others and thoroughly thought through each obstacle he faced.

Aizawa had to admit that all of them performed better than he'd expected. He thought that the camp, Kamino, and All Might's speech would have dragged all the students into a pit of despair...but it had the opposite effect. Thanks in no small part to Bakugo and Todoroki who raised morale through example.

Now, with brand-spanking new licenses under their belt, Class 1A was ready for the next stage of internships. He brought in the Big Three of UA: Mirio Togata, Nejire Hado, and Tamaki Amajiki to talk about their experiences and share their knowledge of how this step could impact careers. What it ended up being was a lesson in humility.

"Strong… so strong…" Tokoyami held his stomach from being bowled over by the imposing Mirio Togata.

"He's a student, but he's the one closest to becoming the #1 hero…" Todoroki whispered in awe as he, Bakugo, and a few others were the only ones left in the fight.

"Who cares, I'm still gonna wipe that smug smile off his face." Bakugo whipped around when Mirio appeared behind him and he let out a blast from his palm.

"Owowow...woo that's smarts. You've got some nice reflexes there Bakugo." Mirio complimented. "However…" He vanished again this time coming up right into Bakugo's space. Even as Bakugo reacted Mirio snagged his right arm and landed a blow right to the stomach. "Your actions are too predictable."

Bakugo coughed, losing his breath and collapsing at Mirio's feet. Todoroki took no time to launch a counter attack, sending flames out to make Mirio back away. Using his ice he created a barrier around his remaining comrades.

"Everyone back to back! It'll limit his attack radius and give us a clearer shot!"

"Right!" Iida, Ochaco, and the other close combat users all huddled back to back, their eyes scanning around.

"Shoto Todoroki, you got second in the sports festival and I can clearly see why. You've been well trained and it showed when you managed to dodge my initial attack on the long distance fighters." Mirio acknowledged and fell through the floor. Everyone tensed up when he stopped talking. He appeared again, leaping up right in front of Iida who lost his speed momentum by the sudden appearance.

Mirio caught him fast, whipping his fist to catch him in the ribs. Her worked his way around the group knocking them all out one by one, using speed and surprise attacks. When he got to Todoroki he leapt up to avoid his ice attack, and phased through the follow up fire blast. The intensive training had helped him regulate temperature at lightning quick speeds, but even the split second delay between attacks gave Mirio his opening. He came in close landing the final blow and posing with absolute pride and dominance.

"POWER!"

After giving them a brief rest period Mirio put his uniform back to rights and stood front and center in front of the dejected class.

"So did that demonstration give you guys an idea of what work studies is like?"

"The hell are you talking about?" Bakugo complained still nursing his stomach. "All you did was land gut punches and knocked us all out. What the hell did any of that have to do with work studies?"

"Well what do you guys think? Is it because my quirk is strong?" Mirio questioned and got a riot of answers.

"YES!" The bulk of the group yelled in annoyance, but one of them disagreed.

"No." Bakugo spoke up, with irritation of his own but for different reasons.

"Hmm?" Mirio looked to the two boys. "What makes you say that?"

"It's obvious you're strong, but it's not because of your quirk." Bakugo grunted. He recalled his own training, how long it had taken him to work out the finer points of his quirk to really make it useful instead of just flashy and intimidating. "Quirks are useful if they're trained properly, but even a powerful quirk like mine and Todoroki wouldn't be any good if we solely relied on them. You have to train your body as well as your quirks in order to use them to their maximum capabilities."

"Very good, Bakugo. You really are a lot smarter than you look."

"What the hell does that mean?! Don't you dare look down on me you third class punk, I'm not taking that loss lying down! I want a rematch!"

"Settle down, Bakugo, and listen up." Aizawa scolded.

"Everyone in Class A is so strong." Hado spoke up cheerfully. "Hey wasn't that one girl in your class too? What was her name again, Togata? The one that became a villain." Hado asked while patting Mirio's back.

"Izumi Midoriya," Mirio's smile faltered only for a moment and his eyes took on a saddened look. Tension rose up amongst all the students at the mention of their former classmate. Bakugo and Todoroki in general narrowed their eyes on the spacey girl.

"Such intense glares…" Tamaki shrunk and turned his back to the group whimpering from the tension. "You just had to bring that up, Hado-san."

"Sorry that was rude I guess," she laughed it off. "Still before the sports festival she and Mirio fought too. She couldn't land a hit on Togata the first time either."

"What?" Bakugo looked a bit miffed by this. "You and Usagi fought?"

"That's right…" Mirio nodded. "All Might introduced us during your first term, and for a time we were sparring partners."

"Geez, no wonder Midoriya got so strong…." Kirishima rubbed his aching ribs. The mood soured, and the shoulders of Class 1A slumped even more. Togata let out a sigh and stood tall with his chest puffed out.

"Fighting me isn't the reason Izumi got as strong as she did." He waited a beat until their heads lifted up again. He put his hands on his hips, his face unusually serious. "What Izumi has more so than any of you... is experience. She found out early on that relying on a powerful quirk, and overall physical ability isn't enough to make you the best. So she gained experience in places none of us knew about, and turned that experience into power, the same as me."

"She turned her experiences into power?" Kaminari scratched his head. "What do you mean by that?"

"What Bakugo said was right. You need to train your Quirk in order to make it stronger. That's exactly what you guys had been doing during your summer training course. Still there's only so many things your body can learn and adapt to in the confines of a classroom." Mirio held his chest as he recalled his own troubles and struggles to control and strengthen his quirk. "I struggled a lot when it came to managing my quirk. My quirk permeation allows me to go through absolutely anything. Light, air, solid matter... I can't feel anything, see anything, I can't even breathe when I'm in that state. It's actually a pretty scary sensation and made controlling my quirk dificult. Before I knew it, I dropped to dead last, and dropped my pants a lot too."

The explanation of his quirk had the class's full attention Their ears listened to every word, and eyes picked up every nuance in his movements.

"In order to get to the top with this quirk I had to change. I couldn't just hope things would get better. I had to think, I learned how to make combat decisions and picked up a few new tricks. Above all I learned how to predict what would happen next. The only way to do that is through experience, and that's where work studies comes in. Unlikes your internships you're not treated as a guest. You're treated like a sidekick or even an actual pro. This can get pretty scary because pros can get hurt, and sometimes they end up watching people die.." He continued to explain and he tapped his forehead. "But every scary and painful moment you go through is an important experience you can't get inside a classroom. I turned my work study experience into power, and that's how I got to the top spot. The work studies are worth it even if they're scary. Are you with me, first years?"

"As motivational as ever, Senpai." Momo clapped and smiled, Class 1A already gathering together in excitement.

"Alright that's enough, let's get back to class. Say thank you to these guys for taking the time to come and speak with you."

"Thank you very much!"

**~Later~**

Once class was over for the day everyone gathered in the common room of the dorms to talk about the day's lesson. There were speculations on what Work Place learning would really entail, and excitement bubbled up amongst the group. Still, not everyone was social. Bakugo and Todoroki both retired from the socializing early, and rode the elevator up together.

"Turn experience into power, huh?" Shoto murmured and sighed. "Best Jeanist is still out of commission… so who do you think we should study under?"

"Even if Jean Face was in commission I wouldn't go back to him. Neither of us fit in with his usual band of losers." Bakugo pointed out and lounged back against the wall.

"True enough… I wonder who Togata-senpai works under."

"Sir Nighteye… I overheard All Might talking about his old side kick had taken him under his wing. Tch… he's really popular and it's damn irritating."

"You're just mad because you lost." Shoto said matter of factly.

"Shut it, half and half!" He cracked his fingers tempted to blast his face. "Grr this whole day has been irritating. I'm going to bed!" He jerked his way through the doors as they open and stomped down the hall.

Shoto watched him as the doors clothes and finish going up to the top floor. He exited the elevator, calmly and quietly walked to his room. Once inside he closed the door, pressed his back to it and slumped to the ground.

"_What Izumi has more so than any of you... is experience."_

"_You want to help me? Then stay safe and stay out of my way!" _

"The Sports Festival, I-Island, the camp… it's not just Bakugo you've beaten at every turn, but me as well." He sighed heavily. "Just when I thought you'd finally bitten off more than you can chew you escaped." He pulled his legs up and buried his face in his updrawn knees. "Togata-senpai and even All Might have acknowledge your abilities. You're a villain, and yet why do I feel inferior to you?"

"_I want you to stop holding back. Own the power you have, and master it. It's your quirk, it's always been yours, so take it, use it, and be the best possible hero you can be."_

He lifted his head as he remembered those words she spoke. He recalled the serious look in her eyes and the firm tone she had taken.

"The next time we fight I'm going all in." He clenched his hands into fists and looked fiercely ahead. "You better watch out, Karma. I'm not holding back anymore!"

**~Shie Hassaikai~**

"You wanna tell me what's going on, Touya?" Izumi leaned against the doorjamb watching Touya go through a box that contained a costume, and support items.

"Your future husband," He grunted the title, still displeased with the idea of having to share his lover. "Has decided that he needs my assistance in the field."

"Whatever for?" She stepped in and closed the door so they could have privacy. "You're not much of a fighter without your quirk, and you're better off handling covert missions that don't require costumes or weaponry." She snagged the gun out of his hand.

"I'm going as a tactician, but I'm to look the part." He shrugged the jacket on adjusting the sleeves a little. "I thought you'd be happy that I'm earning his trust."

"You may have earned his, but he hasn't earned ours. What is he making you do?" She grabbed his arm and turned him to face her. "Don't keep secrets from me, Touya. If you start lying to me…"

"I'm not gonna lie to you…" he sighed heavily and cupped her face in his hands. "I just don't want you to overreact when I tell you what the plan is."

"Well now you're just making me nervous. He's not making you do anything overtly dangerous is he?" She leaned into his touch.

"Could be… Ace is arranging a meeting... between Overhaul and Shigaraki." He held her firm when her head jerked and her eyes go wild. "Calm down… I knew you'd overreact."

"Why the fuck is he meeting with Tomura?!" She slapped his hands away. Flames danced through the strands of her hair, her temper threatening to rage. "What business could they possibly have with each other?"

"Shigaraki spotted you two together after your little adventure in the shopping district. He knows where you're hiding, Karma, and he's assigned Ace to find you. Overhaul wants to run interference."

"Son of a bitch! I knew I felt someone following me." She paced away biting her thumbnail. "If Tomura thinks he can negotiate with Overhaul to get what he wants, he's going to wind up dead."

Something twinged inside her and she held her chest. Why the fuck did she care? Why should she care what those two did to each other? It was better for her if Overhaul completely eradicated what was left of the league and prevent All for One from getting what he wants.

...but it wasn't All for One who was in danger.

"Damn it…" She grit her teeth and shut her eyes. Despite all that he'd done, and the betrayal of her comrades… she couldn't erase the connection and friendship she'd had with them. In the same way she cared about Kacchan and Todoroki, she cared about Tomura, and Toga, and Twice… hell she cared about everyone in the league. They were once her friends, they were once her family… and it had been All for One who took that from her.

She felt Touya's hands on her shoulders and she leaned back into him and let the hug comfort her twisting heart.

"What do you want to do… Karma?" She heard Dabi in Touya's voice… the villainous tone that assured her that he was in it with her for the long haul, and ready to cause some mischief. Her eyes slowly opened and a smirk spread across her lips.

"It's time to remind everyone who I am." She turned around and kissed Dabi softly on the lips. "Go call Ace, and tell him there's been some changes made to the plan."

**~Several days later~**

All Might called Bakugo and Todoroki into the Teacher's Lounge. Waiting for them was the Symbol of Peace himself, as well as Mirio who sat back and happily drank tea with him.

"Well look who it is!" Mirio grinned ear to ear. "Hello again, Bakugo-kun, Todoroki-kun."

"Hello Senpai." Todoroki bowed politely.

"The hell are doing here fish eyes?" Bakugo pointed accusingly, irritated just by the sight of him. He still held a major grudge for the defeat.

"I called him here, same as you." All Might told him and motioned for them to sit. Todoroki sat in the middle of the couch, keeping Bakugo a safe distance from Mirio. "The reason being is because I need your assistance on a case."

"You're working on a case?" Mirio questioned. "Aren't you retired now, All Might?"

"As an active hero, yes. However, I'm still acting as a person of interest in an active case as I know the person, and so do the three of you."

"You're talking about Usagi." Bakugo sneered. "Why the hell do you need our help with her?"

"The four of us in this room, arguably knew her best, at least on the hero spectrum. The police and a friend of mine, Gran Torino, are working on locating Shigaraki and the League of Villains in order to gain more information on her villain side. Still without a lead, we're at square one."

He picked up his tea, sipped at it and sighed again.

"Having said that, I've broken down my reserves… and requested the help of someone I thought could really ask the right questions and lead to some answers."

"You mean," Mirio smiled as he finally understood what this meant. "You've talked to Sir?"

"I have," All Might nodded. "Sir Nighteye has agreed to play as acting Hero in this investigation and wants all four of us to go to his agency for questioning. In return you two boys," he looked to Bakugo and Todoroki, "shall be accepted as interns for his agency same as Mirio, and will be allowed to help with this case."

"He's offering us an internship with him?" Todoroki questioned.

"Tch…" Bakugo clenched his fists. "I don't like it. It sounds like he's just using us for his own gain."

"That could very well be the case, but I trust Sir Nighteye to do whatever it takes to find Karma. He's always been the resourceful type, and does what he needs to get the job done." His smile faded and the seriousness returned to his tone. "It's imperative we find her, boys."

All three of them tense up as the mood shifted.

"Karma is more than just a potentially dangerous villain… she's a villain who now has polarity. She can sway the opinions of the general public, and can affect both sides of the hero/villain spectrum. What she says carries weight, because the ugliness of her words holds truth, and the world has seen it for themselves thanks to All for One. If we can't sway her opinion back to the positive side of the spectrum, then the world's foundation will crumble."

"I get what you're saying, All Might." Todoroki nodded but clenched his hands together. "However, wasn't it you who created that polarity to begin with?"

"Yes, it was a blunder on my part. I spoke my honest opinion on the matter, because I believed Karma was safely within our custody. Now that she's free, her allegiance is up in the air and up for the taking. Whatever side she chooses will have her followers and loyalists supporting that side. It's imperative we find her, and convince her to trust in heroes again."

"So that's why you called us in…" Bakugo motioned to the three of them. "It's not because we know Usagi better… but because we're the ones she's got the closest connection to."

"Precisely."

"Lame…" Bakugo huffed and stood up. "Whatever you're planning with Usagi, I want no part of it. That damn rabbit has slowed me down for the last time. I've got my own goals to focus on, and it doesn't include chasing her tail!"

"I'm in…" Todoroki said simply and made Bakugo bristle up.

"What the hell, Icy Hot!?"

"You of all people should be joining, Bakugo." He sat up straight and looked Bakugo in the eyes. "We both saw with our own eyes what her mind is like. How far those villains have pushed her mind, how close she came to killing you? If we continue to let the villains have their way, there's no bringing her back. On top of that-" He looked down at his hand and clenched his teeth. "We need the experience in the field. Karma's been out on her own and getting stronger with every battle. I'm not going to waste the opportunity that's being given to me."

All Might nodded in approval and smiled. He looked to Bakugo who clicked his tongue and paced the room a moment to calm himself down. He looked to his own hands, remembered how Izumi had laid there, unconscious and practically dead.

"_Even if we are on opposing sides, I can't help but want to protect you too."_

"Kuso…" Tears filled his eyes, and his hands lowered to his sides. "Baka Usagi!"

"_Prove me wrong… Be my hero again." _

"Young Bakugo…" All Might stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's not too late. You can get your friend back."

"_Teach me well, Senpai." _

"All Might is right!" Mirio stood up. "Izumi uses her experiences to guide her further. We need to show her what true heroes are capable of."

"_Play the game of life with me." _

"We made Izumi a promise, Bakugo. All of us in Class 1A promised we'd try and take her down. It's because she has faith in our abilities and faith in us." Todoroki stepped around and stood toe to toe with Bakugo. "We've been holding back all this time, because we were hoping she'd stop playing the game, but she hasn't. She'll keep on playing until one side loses."

He holds out his hand to Bakugo.

"I don't intend to lose. I'm going to finish this game, and come out on top. Are you with me?"

Bakugo eyed his hand. This guy, had been a thorn in his side since he came to U.A… and yet out of all his classmates, even Kirishima, Todoroki was the one he trusted the most. They'd been through a lot together, grown stronger together… and it was time to put that strength to good use. He clenched Todoroki's hand and squeezed it firmly

"Don't you dare hold me back, Icy Hot." Bakugo challenged with a grin. Todoroki smiled back, and that smile increased as All Might and Mirio set their hands on top of theirs.

"Alright then boys…" All Might bent in close to his young proteges. "Let's go capture us a queen."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Woot we're close to hitting the final stretch! Are you guys excited? I know I am. **_

_**Next Chapter: Stalemate**_


	26. Stalemate

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 26: Stalemate**

"Invitations have been sent out to the other Yakuza clans, the wardrobe and decorations have been ordered and the officiator hired." Mimic told Overhaul as be crunched some numbers.

"Good, the wedding itself is a mandatory event, if any of the clans decline the invitation then they'll be the first on my list to go." Overhaul told him as he studied the shogi board in front of him.

"The event in question is scheduled two weeks away. Are you sure you want to have it so soon?" Chronos asked with some concern, his fingers fidgeting with the game piece he'd just captured.

"If it was possible to have it sooner, I would. We're finally making progress on the cure thanks to the finances Karma has secured us. Also Eri has been far more cooperative thanks to her presence. I want to seal the deal quickly, before she has a chance to change her mind." Overhaul shifted his gold piece forward stealing his opponent's piece.

"Point taken, but do you think the other clans will take her seriously?" Chronos pointed out frowning as his knight was taken. "Despite how she acts Karma is still just a kid. Young, inexperienced, and easily manipulated by her emotions."

"That kind of thinking is dangerous, Chronos." Overhaul warned. "The moment you start underestimating her is the moment you lose." To prove his point he promoted his knight, putting the king in check position. Chronos scowled and slumped back into his seat.

"Still…"

"All for One was considered the god of the underworld. The elders used to say the man was untouchable, that not even All Might could stop him. Now the supposed god is holed up in Tartarus all because he underestimated our tiny queen." Overhaul folded his hands together. "If the clans want to make that same mistake then let them. Karma will make an absolute fool out of them, and I'll be more than happy in sharing that glory with her."

"That's high praise coming from you, Boss." Mimic commented suddenly finishing up his paperwork. "Normally you see all these pieces as pawns to play… useful garbage you call them."

"That phrase may work for her minions, but not for Karma." He recalled the hard look he'd received from her upon their first speaking. "She's been made a tool of before, and is careful not to be used again. She's smart, observative, and tenacious. Her only weakness is her emotions which tend to shift depending on her mood. Endeavor made the mistake of angering her and look what became of him. We have to be careful not to do the same, or we could wind up being next on her kill list."

"You're scared of her?" Chronos questioned and immediately regretted it when Overhaul glared at him. "Sorry."

"I'm cautious of her, because All for One has made her too powerful. She may not have as much experience as some other villains, but she's still dangerous."

"Master Overhaul is right." Shin spoke up finally from the corner of the room, having observed and listened in on the discussion. "She took down Rappa and Tengai with nary a sweat, and she's gaining control and tact with the quirks she's only had for a few weeks. Her intelligence, her power, her tenacity and even her eagerness to fight and win are what make her such an opposing threat. You'll do well to remember that."

There was a knock on the door and Overhaul sat up straight to give a more intimidating presence.

"Come in."

"Sorry to intrude," Touya stepped in and bowed his head. The costume he was given was very reminiscent of what Karma had given him… the long trench was black but had fur in the hood like many of the other members. His belt had a gun holster along with pouches for several other equip items for emergencies. He also had a knife strapped to his calf, and last but not least the signature plague mask strapped over his mouth. "Our ride is waiting."

"That was fast…" Overhaul stood up. "Alright, you lot have your assignments. Don't let me down. Let's go, Mister Knight." He waved his fingers as he shifts past Touya. "Time to go meet with your old team mates."

**~A few minutes later~**

"DABI!" Twice hugged Touya and shook his shoulders. "Long time no see! You haven't changed a bit!" He stopped shaking and put his face in close. "You look different."

"Let go Twice." He shoved the split personality towards the car. "Get in before you're spotted. If any heroes spot us then they'll come snooping."

"Yes sir! Don't tell me what to do, jerk!" Twice flipped him off but got into the towncar behind the wheel. Overhaul and Dabi slipped into the back seat and let Twice drive them to the meeting location. After a few minutes of silence Overhaul finally spoke up.

"I take it you overheard some of what we were talking about." He questioned. "You've been giving me sharp looks ever since we left the estate."

"Don't think too much on it, Overhaul." Touya assured, keeping his voice hushed so that Twice wouldn't hear them. "I only overheard that your associate is concerned whether or not you'll be able to keep Karma under your thumb...which, if I'm being honest, you won't."

"I see…" Irritated, but curious, Overhaul eyed his expression and body language. The man was speaking truthfully, not boastingly. "So do you agree with my way of thinking?"

"Of course, I do. Anyone who thinks they can control a woman, let alone a woman with power, is a fool." He waved the notion off. "You've every right to be concerned. Karma is open and supportive of those she's aligned with, but her loyalty only goes so far. If someone goes against the grain of what she believes to be moral...well you saw what happened to Stain."

"If that's the case, then how did, as you put it, a fool like Shigaraki keep her for so long? He had her leashed to him for months, and even managed to talk her into going against the grain herself. How did he do it?"

"Simple…" He got out of the car as they pulled up to the hideout. "He didn't keep her leashed, she kept herself leashed."

"What do you mean?" Overhaul narrowed his eyes on the building, disgusted by how filthy it looked.

"Karma believed she loved him, and love makes you do crazy things. Unfortunately for Shigaraki she began recognizing that her actions and morals were clashing. She straddled the line of heroism and villainy, unable to commit to either. She was told to either commit to being a villain, or lose the League's support. You saw what she chose."

"I see… so that's why All for One intervened when he did. He saw Karma coming into her power, and stepped in to avoid having her take complete control of the world." He cracked his knuckles, irritation bubbling up. He couldn't shake this feeling that they were being followed, and wondered if heroes had latched onto their location.

"Who knows what that man is thinking… I just know that even in prison he's a threat." Dabi looked up at the old abandoned warehouse, then at Twice who had driven them. "Of all the hang outs, you guys choose this dump?"

"Seriously," Overhaul agreed. "I'm gonna get sick from being in a filthy place like this."

"Don't worry, everyone inside has been sick for a long time." Twice assured and opened the door, spreading it open to show off the lineup. "I've brought the boon, boss!"

"So I see, Twice." Shigaraki narrowed his eyes on Chisaki. "You've certainly brought me a big fish."

"A big fish?" Overhaul spoke up his unnervity gone now that he was face to face with Shigaraki. "Now that's ironic, Mr. King of Villains."

"Who is this guy?" Magne questioned shuddering. "Is he famous or something?"

"Master showed Karma and I a picture of his once." Shigaraki explained, his eyes ignoring Dabi for the moment, but was ready to pick up that baited hook at any time. "He's what you would call a Yakuza, the young head of the Shie Hassaikai."

"Shie Hassaikai?" Magne let out a small squeal. "So he's number two of Organized crime! Kya! He seems so dangerous!"

"Formerly number two…" Overhaul corrected. "Thanks to some recent smart investments we are now the leading Yakuza group."

"This investment you speak…" Shigaraki tapped his finger irritably on his knee. "Wouldn't happen to be my queen would it?"

"It would," Overhaul nodded his head to Touya who stepped up beside him. "She and Dabi here were more than eager to join after being so violently tossed from your ranks."

"Dabi?" All eyes focused on him now. "Is that really you under there?" Mr. Compress questioned. "You've changed."

"I'm surprised anyone noticed," he shrugged it off, his hands carelessly in his pockets. "You all were ready to throw me to the curb, and let me die, so I've made a wiser investment of my time."

"I could care less if you joined up with this loser," Shigaraki sneered and pointed a finger at Overhaul. "You could die for all I care, but Karma is another matter. Don't drag her into your bad decisions."

"You've got it all wrong," Dabi smirked. "Karma's the one dragging me, but I'm enjoying the ride."

"What?" Shigaraki's eyes narrowed on Overhaul. "Are you telling me Karma joined your ranks of her own free will? Don't make me laugh." He stood up and took a few steps forward. "I could see her taking pity on a small organized crime syndicate for a short time, but you're a fool if you think she'd join you for an extended period of time."

"Who's the real fool between the two of us I wonder?" Overhaul smirked behind his mask. "As it happens she's not only a dedicated member of my group, she's my future wife."

"BULL SHIT!" Shigaraki slammed his palm down on a crate, disintegrating it. "Karma is mine! She loves me! Give her back to me!"

"She used to love you… now she can't stand the sight of you." Overhaul held back a laugh. "She's not marrying me for unstable reasons like love, or passion… but instead for security and protection. Her and I have plans to change the world, and we will do it together as husband and wife."

"Twice!" Shigaraki turned violent eyes on him. Twice held up his hand looking nervous and shaking. "Take this asshole home. You should never have brought him here. Get him out of my sight and find Karma!"

"We'll leave, but you can forget about finding Karma" Touya spoke up. "She's a busy woman nowadays, helping to lead the Yakuza and fulfill her wishes. If you want to see her, you'll have to make an appointment."

"I could bring you to her if you'd like." Overhaul extended his hand. "You and your league could join us, put your useful quirks and name under my command, and you can see your queen."

"Tch," Tomura lifted his chin up. "Like hell. Get Out!"

"You said it, boss!" Her own fire burning from Overhaul's words, Magne revealed her weapon and leapt from her seat. "We didn't come together to be under someone!"Filled with rage and determination to take down her enemy. "Those that are bound by the chains of common sense, laugh at those who aren't!" Raising it up she locked onto Chisaki forcing him forward and towards her. "I'm a part of the league of villains because I refuse to be bound by anything!" .

Overhaul dug his feet into the ground, removing his glove he prepared to counterattack, but the pull abruptly stopped. He stumbled forward a few steps and jerked his head up watching Magne scream as she was raised off the floor dangling from the grip on her weapon.

"Kya! Whats happening? Someone get me down!"

"That quirk...could it be…" Tomura's eyes scanned around and locked onto a shadowed figure in the rafters.

"You don't want to be bound by anything you say? Does that include gravity… Magne." Karma smiled maliciously, raising the frightened butch woman even higher. Magne clung onto the pole for dear life and stare at Karma with a horrified expression.

"Q-Q-Queen Karma?!".

"You didn't answer my question, Magne…" She grabbed the beam for support, and reached out stroking a few fingers through Magne's hair. "Are you sure you don't want to be bound by anything?" She took a firm grip of Magne's hair and let her quirk on Magne's weapon drop. Magne screamed again as she was forced to let go. She flailed her arms and managed to barely hold onto the bannister Karma stood on, and winced from the pull on her hair.

"It seemed to me you were more than ready to be chained down by All for One when he was dragging Dabi and I across the ground, taking away our power and free will with a flick of his fingers." She grit her teeth her eyes sharpening and she yanked her hair jerking her head back to look her in the eye. "You talk about freedom and not being chained down, but in reality you've been chained down all your life by your fear of death."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Forgive me! Forgive me, your highness!" Magne sniveled staring up pleadingly. "I"ll do whatever you ask, just please forgive me!"

"Anything eh?" She let go of Magne's hair and held out her hand for hers. Magne shook and took her hand, lifting herself up with Karma's help. "Alright."

"Thank you! Bless you!" Magne bowed her head down to Karma. "How shall I repay you?"

"Answer my question… Do you truly wish not to be chained down by anything?"

"No…" Magne lifted her head again, sitting on her knees and trembling. "I'll gladly be chained by you, My queen."

"Hmmm…" Karma's eyes gleamed. "Promise?"

Before Magne could understand what was happening Karma kicked her across the face sending her plummeting to the ground.

"MAGNE!" Toga held her mouth in shock as she watched Magne fall to the ground. Just as Magne's face was about to hit concrete her body came to an abrupt stop as her legs were tangled up by thick metal chains being controlled by Karma's quirk. Magne sobbed as she was slowly lowered to the ground, and left curled up there to process what had happened.

"I've granted her request and have kept her chained to me…" Karma spoke as she lowered herself to the ground holding up Magne's chain like a leash. "Personally, I hate them." She let the chains drop to her feet then turned her eyes onto her former lover. "Hello Tomura."

"Karma…" Shigaraki stepped forward, his eyes full of emotion and relief. "You came."

"I heard you were looking for me, and that you and my future husband had planned this little gathering. So I decided to listen in and see what everyone had to say." She turned her head back narrowing her eyes on Chisaki who looked annoyed.

"I knew I felt someone following us. So it was you."

"I don't like secrets, Chisaki, you should have told me about this gathering." She shrugged. "We'll discuss that later when we get home. IN the meantime I have business with my former crew." She turned to face them. Twice was helping Magne up and pulled her over to sit back down and far away from Karma's reach.

"Magne, you okay?" Twice asked looking concerned then pointed an accusing finger at Karma. "What were you thinking, you traitor! She could have died!"

"Me?!" Karma's eyes lit with fury, and flames flickered through her hair surprising everyone. "I'm the traitor?" She let out a sarcastic laugh, then paused for a minute. Finding her calm again she smiled. "You know what, you're right."

"Eh?!" Twice blinked pointing his fingers at his head. "We are?"

"That's right…" she pointed to herself and gave Tomura a pitying glance. "I am the traitor. After all, I'm the one who killed Sensei in the first place. I'm the one who staged the coup, and took the throne myself. I'm the one who manipulated Tomura into lovin chains she'd used to hang Magne now wrapped around Tomura's hands dragging him forward and lifting him up off the ground. "I tied my little puppet strings around you, and made you dance for me!"

Tomura grit his teeth, shifting and grunting as the rusty chains irritated his flesh. He watched them carefully, noted how the energy around the metal fluctuated, as if struggling to maintain shape and form when moving. Resorting to using his teeth, he shifted himself up so his mouth latched out the leathery material, and yanked it off. He took firm hold of the chain now, moment her energy fluctuated, his quirk turned the metal to dust and released him.

Karma let out a sound of pleasure and she clapped when he dropped to the ground and looked ready to strike himself.

"Your quick thinking has improved immensely, my dear king." She placed a free hand on her hips. "You can relax, I've had my fun and I've already taken my revenge." She eyed the whimpering Magne. "I'll be taking my leave shortly, and once I do you're not to follow me, or pursue me in any way."

"Like hell this is over!" Tomura shouted rubbing his wrist and putting his glove back on. "If you think I'm just gonna hand you over to some Yakuza twit you're-"

"Hand me over?" Karma's eyes sharpened again. "I thought I was the traitor... the manipulator. Are you telling me you enjoy being chained to me?"

"Tch…" Tempted to scratch at his neck, but not wanting to lose his composure, Tomura stood tall and looked her straight in the eye. His serious and pained expression had the hardness easing from Karma's eyes. "I never considered you a traitor, nor did I mind this chains you put on me." He held his chest and felt his heart thundering there. "I love you."

The fact that his words came out sincerely made Karma's anger almost diminish. She felt the tears burning, felt the words rise in her throat, but she refused to let them form. Her bottom lip trembled and she let her arms fall limp to her sides.

"… but you love your power more." She walked to him, her boots clicking and echoing in the suddenly quiet room. "I'm sorry, but I'm not coming back, Tomura. You're on your own from now on."

"Why?!" He went to her, his hand reaching but she slapped it away, and the tension grew thick again. Tomura could see it now, the tears that welled up, but refused to fall. Despite that, a smile that was as soft and bright as the sun formed on her lips.

"You've your own plans don't you? A goal you want to achieve?"

"No… I don't…" He clenched his teeth and gripped his hands into fists. "I don't want anything, but you."

"Hmmmph, liar. Don't be such a wussy king." She kissed his cheek, her hand slipping something into his before she stepped away from him again. "You've always done what you've wanted… All for One isn't holding your leash anymore, and neither am I."

Tomura resisted the urge to look at the card she'd slipped him. Instead he stuffed both his hands in his pockets, his face looking miserable.

"How's a king supposed to rule without a queen at his side?"

Karma's face turned wicked.

"You don't need a queen, Tomura. Take a look around." She motioned to the other members. "You've plenty of strong pieces by your side. Trust them, rely on them, and I'm sure they'll serve you well." She aimed a salute to the group and pulled her mask out from her jacket pocket and put it on. "Play to your heart's content."

She hooked her arms through Chisaki's and Dabi's, and the three of them walked out together. As they left Tomura pulled out the card she'd tucked in his hand. It was an invitation to the wedding, and written on the bottom in Karma's familiar chicken scratch was a note.

"_Don't let the world defeat you." _

"Tomura-kun?" Toga stepped up, her knife in hand. "I can cut them... let me cut them all!"

"No…" Tomura's smile spread slowly and softly and he gingerly folded the paper and placed it into his breast pocket over his heart. "Leave them alone."

**~A few minutes later~**

"In chess I guess this is what you would call a stalemate. Here I was expecting you to burn the place down…" Dabi gave a heavy sigh as he lounged in the backseat of the car, Ace now behind the wheel. "Once again you made quite the statement, without doing much at all."

"I was tempted, believe me." Karma admitted. "I'd thought about killing him so many times over these last few weeks… but in the end I couldn't bring myself to do it." She lay her head on his shoulder. "Even when I thought you were him back in the warehouse and I shot you, I almost instantly regretted it."

"He's not the one you want to kill," Dabi figured and pet her hair. "Don't worry, we'll find some way to make All for One pay. For now let's just go home, and do what we do."

"Mmmm you're right."

Chisaki watched the display from the front seat , eyeing Izumi who had curled up into Touya, The two of them looked grave despite her slick performance. He saw the raw hurt in her eyes; he'd never cared about other people's emotions or problems before, but Karma had shown him the light.

After Touya's earlier explanation, and the events he'd just witnessed, Chisaki had a better understanding of what exactly happened during that battle with All for One. It was Karma's hunger to belong and feel a part of the league that made her slip into true villainy. She had loved Shigaraki, and in some ways still did. Her love for him made her ignore most of his flaws, and forgive his audacious behavior. Her attachments, and friendships she'd made to the people in the league made her desperate to save and protect them.

Her actions were hero syndrome at their very core. Her methods, however, were twisted and corrupted, which made those heroic actions unrecognizable to those who didn't know her personally.

This didn't bode well for his plans.

If Karma found out about Eri's true purpose, if she found out how he'd been extracting the samples, then all hell would break loose. She'd tear straight through the Hassaikai, setting it ablaze all to protect one little girl she'd grown fond of. She'd break the promises she made to him, and to the other Hassaikai, all so she could keep Eri as far away from him as possible.

He had to keep that from happening. He had to make Karma trust him 100% so that she'd never pry or question his methods. The only way to do that was a prospect that both frightened and disgusted him... but he didn't have a choice.

Once at home he told Dabi to retire alone, and that he needed a few words with Izumi. The two walked to his quarters, a place he rarely let people in, and motioned her inside.

"Wash up in the bathroom, then we'll talk."

"Alright." Now that the initial sadness washed away, Izumi couldn't help but feel smug about her performance. Not only did she get her revenge by scaring the living shit out of Magne and Tomura, but she did it in a way that was both satisfying to her and not completely damaging to Tomura.

From here on out, Tomura would grow and become his own man. Whether or not he chose to follow his own plans or stick to All for One's was still up in the air, but she would handle it and him when the time came.

Humming, she went to the adjoining bathroom and washed her hands and face free of grime. She could hear Chisaki rustle through the room doing his usual cleansing routine.

"You should have told me you were going. I wouldn't have had to go over your head like that." She waited a beat, when he didn't respond she tucked her tongue in her cheek. "Be angry all you want but I deserved to know. We're a team now and-" she stepped out of the bathroom and immediately felt the prick in her neck from the quick gunshot. "OW! What the…" she held her neck and eyed Chisaki who came into view with the gun.

"Relax this is only a temporary dosage. The complete product is still in development." He holstered the gun in its case. "I had to take you by surprise or the effects wouldn't work. I can't have you squirming away."

"You…" she tried to release her fire but got nothing. Her eyes lit with ferocity and fear. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Something I should have done the moment we met." He removed his gloves and Izumi backed up. Sweat dripped down her temple and she eyed the room trying to find a shield or weapon. He slapped his hands on either side of her head and she swallowed hard staring into his eyes.

"What good would killing me do now?" She whispered harshly and stare into those gold eyes.

"Who said anything about killing you?" He snagged her chin and Izumi shut her eyes bracing for his quirk. Instead she heard the shift of movement from him removing his mask and felt his mouth press onto hers.

"Mmmmph!?" Her eyes popped open as his mouth tested and teased hers open. The kiss was hesitant and yet somehow bold; with his tongue dipped in, lingering inside unsure of what to do. Curiously it started to tangle together with hers. Tasting her.

She could feel him shudder against her, his body reacting to the new experience. She raised her hands, taking fist fulls of his shirt and gripping onto it.

When they finally parted, both were out of breath. Chisaki had practically collapsed into her, their bodies pressed in close and their breath mixing together. His eyes opened, looked into hers, and only one word came to Izumi's mind.

"Why?"

"How could any man watch that display and not want you?" He braced himself back up on the wall smirking down at her. "I hate people, I hate intimacy… but I don't hate you." He bent his head down again and nipped her lip. "I love you, Karma."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: *Flushed* Did I write that? Holy shit I guess I did… hehe. Ah speaking of which if anyone wants a specific lemon chapter written be sure to let me know in the comments or on facebook. I DO take requests for most fandoms, but if they're not really up to my tastes it tends to be a bit harder to write them. Still I'm up to hearing your requests and will do my best to adhere to them.**_

**Next Chapter: Kota the Knight**


	27. Kota the Knight

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 27: Kota the Knight**

**~Sir Nighteye Agency~**

Bakugo and Todoroki both stood dumbfounded as they watched a full grown man attach a scantily clad woman to a torture board and proceed to tickle her. The squeals and laughter coming from her mouth were very misleading and had both boys flushed and confused.

"This… is your former sidekick?" Bakugo asked All Might, twitching.

"That's him…" All Might chuckled. "As humorous as ever."

"Sir! We're here and we've brought the new recruits!" Mirio broke through the confusion to approach Night Eye with a big smile.

"Ah so I see, welcome." He released bubble girl from the contraption and adjusted his glasses. "Long time no see, All Might."

"Ah, it's been some time, Nighteye." All Might extended his hand. "Forgive me for taking so long to reach out to you, my old friend."

"I understand why you did it, and I'm thankful you've given me a chance to help you once again." He turned his eyes to the two boys. "Are these the boys you mentioned in your phone call?"

"That they are," All Might turned to his students. "Go on, boys, make your introductions."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Todoroki bowed respectfully. "I am Shoto Todoroki, age 15. Thank you for inviting me."

"The son of Endeavor, may he rest in peace. I look forward to seeing if your abilities match the hype they've received." Nighteye adjusted his glasses again and turned his eyes to Bakugo. "And you?"

"Katsuki Bakugo, Age 16…" he nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Thanks for the invite."

"It's a pleasure meeting you both. My name is Sir Nighteye, and I'll be your acting supervisor for your internship. All of you make yourselves at home, and I shall gather the materials we need to discuss our business." He looked to his sidekick. "Bubble Girl, get me the complete file on the Shie Hassaikai."

"Y-Yes sir!" Bubble Girl saluted, and not wanting to get tickled again immediately rushed out to grab the files."

"Shie Hassaikai?" All Might questioned as he sat. "Aren't they Yakuza?"

"Ah, I will explain in fuller detail once Bubble Girl returns… but they're my only lead so far on the whereabouts of Izumi Midoriya."

"Hah?" Bakugo's ears pricked at that statement. "A lead on Usagi?"

"I'm afraid it's not much, and I have no concrete proof that this is where she's been hiding but-" he paused when Bubble Girl returned and handed him a thick file. "A couple of things shootout at me. There were reports of a young teenager interfering with a villain group known as the Reservoir Dogs. After the hero was caught off guard and knocked around, the young girl made quick work of them with what looked to be a telekinetic quirk."

"Sounds like her MO." Mirio folded his arms. "Guess All for One didn't do anything to damper her spirit in that regard."

"The next piece of evidence was a tip off we received from a reporter who had been looking into the actions of a Yakuza Group known as the Shie Hassaikai. They've recently gained a larger following, and to top it off their young head, Kai Chisaki, has taken an interest in a young woman."

"What kind of a lead is that?" Bakugo sneered. "What does that guy getting a date have to do with Usagi?"

"According to the information we've uncovered, he's in a relationship with the daughter of Drake Carson, one of the top dons in the American Mafia. His daughter is a nineteen year old named Karma Carson."

"Karma…" Shoto narrowed his eyes. "A coincidence?"

"So it would seem. All the records appear to be legitimate. Drake does have a daughter named Karma, as well as two sons. All three of his children are now living at Chisaki's home. There's even been talk of marriage."

"Marriage?!" Mirio, Shoto, and Bakugo all shouted together.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!" Bakugo sneered. "Isn't one villain ex-boyfriend enough for her? Now she's got wedding bells on the brain?"

"Something doesn't add up," All Might rubbed his chin. "Why would young Midoriya tie herself to the Shie Hassaikai? I can understand her taking refuge there for a short time, but marriage? Are we sure this isn't just a coincidence."

"That's what I'd like to find out." He slid a file forward. "Inside here are pictures of the three in question. Since you all seem to know the most about her, I thought it best to share this information with you and figure out if it's legitimate."

"Let's see here…" All Might opened the folder. One look at Karma's picture had his face going serious. "Ah, that's her. There's no mistaking it."

"Let me see…" Bakugo grabbed the picture and nodded. "I'm with All Might. This Karma," he holds up the picture. "Looks almost exactly the way Izumi did before becoming a villain. I don't know how she got rid of the scars, but it's too big of a coincidence."

"I never knew Izumi before she became a villain," Shoto put in looking at the picture with a serious expression. "...but even I have to agree the similarities in their looks are too exact. People who aren't used to seeing her face everyday, who wouldn't notice little things about her would definitely write her off as someone else."

"Which is probably why she hasn't been discovered yet." Mirio finished off.

"Excellent," Nighteye nodded his head, a little spark of victory in his eye now. "Now would you take a look at the other two, and tell me if you recognize them as any of her former crew?"

"This is one of the supposed brothers?" He pulled out the picture of Touya, red eyes staring back at him and a carefree smirk on his face. "Hmmmm not particularly familiar."

"Hmm?" Shoto peered at the picture and his breath hitched. "Dad?"

"Did you say something, young Shoto?" All Might questioned.

"What? Oh, no, nothing. I don't recognize him." He averted his eyes from the picture, shaking away the chills going down his spine.

"It could be that Dabi guy." Bakugo pointed out. "Without his scars it's hard to tell, but Usagi had marks on her body and somehow managed to heal them, so they could have done the same for him." He pulled out the next picture of a red head kid with the same red eyes as Touya. "Now that kid definitely looks familiar."

"Its Kota, or at least it looks a lot like him. Didn't he go missing around the same time as Karma?" Shoto lifted it up for a better look.

"There is evidence that boy could be in Karma's custody. The guard watching Dabi reported a boy fitting his description being the one to help spring him. Mandalay and Eraser both attest that Kota defended Karma's actions and was siding with her despite what she'd done." Nighteye clarified.

"If the squirt forced himself into her custody, she could be planning to use him as a hostage as a means to return him if things get dicey. She wouldn't put him in harm's way." Bakugo assured.

"Still we should find a way to get him back as soon as possible. If he's already siding with her and breaking the law then she could very well turn him into a villain without meaning to." Shoto pointed out.

"I agree," Mirio nodded his head. "It may be difficult to get Karma back into our custody, but at the very least we should rescue the boy from being further influenced."

"We'll approach that matter when the time comes. First we need to pinpoint her location."

"She's with the Hassaikai isn't she?" Shoto questioned. "Wouldn't the logical place for her to be is in the stronghold? Why not get a warrant to search the place?"

"It's not that simple, I'm afraid." Nighteye pushed his glasses further up his nose. "If we're wrong, and the Hassaikai catches wind of our investigation, they now have the funds and means to move Karma to a more discreet location, and completely out of our reach. It's best we handle this covertly and be sure of her whereabouts without giving her a chance to escape."

"If she's planning on marrying Chisaki, wouldn't the best time to pinpoint her location be the wedding itself?" Shoto suggested.

"Part of our covert investigation will be to determine if there really is a wedding." Nighteye stood up and took the forms All Might handed him. He stamped the two and held them up for Bakugo and Shoto to see. "From today on you boys will be acting as my sidekicks. Be sure you don't disappoint me."

Shoto and Bakugo sat up straight and their eyes took on varying degrees of seriousness.

"Yes Sir."

**~Two days later: Shie Hassaikai~**

"Karma...Karma… OI IZUMI!" Kota shouted and shoved her to snap get free from her thoughts. "You're burning the chow!"

"Huh? What? Oh shit, KYA!" Izumi revived the pan groaning at the sight of the burnt cheese sandwich she'd been trying to prepare. "Damn I'm sorry bout that."

"What's with you? You've been a space cadet for the last two days. Did something happen?" Kota scowled crossing his arms and tapping his fingers impatiently on his arm.

"No, no, it's just…" Izumi flushed bright red and she lowered her head so that her hair curtained to cover the embarrassment. "I've got a lot on my mind is all, Kota."

That really was all he needed to know. Izumi didn't feel comfortable sharing the fact that she'd been thinking about how to tell Touya that Kai kissed her and told her that he loved her. She still couldn't believe it herself. What the hell had changed? She thought he tolerated her… maybe had some affection or affinity due to the fact they were cohorts, but nothing to the extreme that he brought it to.

Letting out a heavy sigh she dumped the burnt food in the trash.

"Ask Touya or someone to make you lunch, Kota. I just can't focus right now. I'm gonna go work out for a bit and clear my head."

"Okay I guess…" he watched her slump away. "Hey, Izumi?" He waited for her to turn to face him. "Are you… happy here?"

"Hmmm? Happy?" She turned towards him, saw the seriousness in his eyes and let out a small laugh. "What brought this on?"

"Well it's just… you're always saying how you want to make other people happy. You work hard to help Overhaul and the other Yakuza members, you play games with Eri and I whenever we ask, you listen to other people's problems and offer up solutions… but you never really seem to do things just for yourself."

Izumi took a moment to process what he was saying. Was she happy? Well she wasn't UN-happy. It just never really occurred to her to find happiness. Her only dream was to be a hero, which was impossible now. Instead she found contentment in helping the people who needed and deserved it, people like Kota, and Eri. Her smile came back, but it was soft and just a bit sad.

"I'm content." She finally decided and offered up a soft smile. "Helping other people gives me purpose, and I find joy in that." She pat him on the head, ruffling his hair through the bandana. "Having someplace to call home, people I can depend on, and a purpose to give my life meaning... I can't ask for more than that."

"That's not happiness…" Kota lifted his head up. "What would make you happy? Tell me! I'll do whatever I can!"

"Oh Kota." She knelt down and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you… but you don't have to do anything." She pulled back and touched his face. "You want to know what will make me happy?"

Kota sniffed back a tear and nodded.

"Protecting the people I care about makes me happy. Knowing I can trust people like Touya and Ace to have my back makes me happy." She hugs him again holding back tears of her own. "Having you as my friend, and my knight makes me happy."

"I'm… really your knight?" He hugged her back and felt her head shift in a nod.

"Mmmm, you are…" She pulled back and brushed a tear away from his face. "If you really want to do something to make me happy… then I want you to help me bring back Eri's smile."

"Her smile?"

"Yeah," She stood up and looked around to make sure that others weren't listening in. "You've noticed it haven't you, Kota? No one in this place knows how to genuinely smile. Eri's grown up in an atmosphere where the people around her are all stern, and sour faced, and as such she didn't even know what a smile look liked until we came here."

"So that's why she's like that? I didn't know." Kota lowered his head.

"There's more to it, I'm sure, but that's the real root of the problem. We need to show Eri what it's like to have fun again, what it's like to enjoy life again." Izumi's smile spread genuinely again. "I don't know about you… but I would love to see her smile again. I bet it's the cutest thing you'll ever see."

**~Later~**

Kota wandered the underground aimlessly, losing track of where he was or where he was going. His thoughts were focused on one task, and everything else became a jumble mess.

Smile… how could he get Eri to smile?

Usually stuff like playing games, enjoying delicious foods, and listening to a good story was enough to make any kid break out in a grin. Izumi had tried all those things, and the most he had gotten out of Eri was a wobbly grimace.

They could try an amusement park… he'd never been to one before, but he'd seen all kinds of anime and tv shows that showed all kinds of people laughing and smiling.

"Maybe I could ask Karma to take us one, gah!" He let out a small sound of surprise at the sound of a door slamming from the hall. It was then he realized he'd wandered nearly to the very bottom of the basement, a place Overhaul had forbidden him and Touya from entering due to the sensitive equipment that was kept there.

He spotted Overhaul turning a corner. Afraid he'd get lectured, Kota ducked into a nearby closet and covered his mouth to keep from being discovered.

"You went easy on her today." Chronos spoke up from behind him, carrying a sleeping Eri in his arms. "Are you sure we got enough samples?"

"Shut up, don't talk to me like I'm going soft. I collected a single sampling for an experiment Karma requested of me."

"Karma did? You told her what you've been up to down here?"

"No, she doesn't know the process or how we compose the bullets. She just asked that I modify the formula a bit for a special plan she's cooking up."

"What plan?" Chronos frowned. "I really don't trust her. Are you sure she's not gonna use it on-"

"I know precisely what she's gonna do with it, and I'm looking forward to seeing that plan come to fruition. It'll be a grand display of her power… a display we'll have the honor of sharing once word of it gets out."

"Still-" He jerked back when Overhaul turned cold eyes on him.

"You leave Karma to me. She won't betray us," he turned around, his voice taking on a dangerous tone. "I'll make sure of it."

Kota listened to the sounds of the footsteps disappear down the hall. His eyes had gone wide as saucers, and the rhythm of his breathing quickened from what he'd heard. Slowly he lowered his hands, letting the shaky breath out.

"What.. was that?" He clasped the door handle and cautiously looked around for people. When he found no one, his head turned back to the direction Overhaul had come from. He walked, quickly and quietly to the corner and peered around. There were no people around, but he spotted only one door Overhaul could have come out of.

His body moved before he could tell himself to stop. He walked to it, placed his hand on the knob and twisted it open. When the door opened, the stench of blood and chemicals struck him hard and he covered his mouth again to keep himself from vomitting. He saw the chair with straps for a person's limbs, and the knives, scalpuls and other blood soaked equipment laying on a tray beside it. The urge to vomit kicked in even stronger and he quickly shut the door and made a run back down the hall.

No way… no way! What the hell were they doing down here? What did all this have to do with Eri?

Did Izumi know? No… she couldn't. Overhaul said he didn't tell her anything, and was determined to keep it that way.

"They're lying to her. They're hurting Eri and keeping it from Izumi. I gotta do something, I gotta-" he skidded to a stop when something dawned on him.

"_I don't know about you… but I would love to see her smile again."_

"She'll never smile…" Kota felt the hot tears of sadness and fury build up inside. "She'll never smile so long as they're doing that to her." He walked a few steps farther, saw Chronos leave Eri's room and speak with the guard standing outside it. His hand clenched into a fist and he rubbed the tears away as determination sparked in him. "I've got to get her out of here!"

**~Training Room~**

Izumi wiped the sweat from her brow as she finished her workout. Snagging a bottle of water she downed half of it, letting out a loud sound of relief as the cool liquid eased her dry throat.

"Well looks like you had some fun." Chisaki's voice startled her, and she fumbled with the water. She whirled around to face him, embarrassment flushing her cheeks more than the work out did.

"Kai… what are you doing here?" She'd put on some training pants and a sports bra to make it easier for her to move around… but now having Chisaki's eyes on her, she felt naked and vulnerable.

"Came to see my future wife, naturally." He snagged up a fresh towel from the bench and proceeded to help her dab at the sweat along her brow and neck. He watched the muscles in her throat quiver as she swallowed hard, and it made his ego swell knowing he was making her nervous.

"You're really taking this joke too far." She gently pushed his hand away with the back of her fist and took a step back. He only shifted a little towards her, and made her feel completely trapped.

"What joke is that? I'm being completely serious."

"Like hell…" Her eyes went sharp as fangs. "You've been content with keeping me at a distance all this time, and now all of a sudden you're showing interest? Just what kind of game are you playing?"

He sighed heavily and boxed her in, feeling the heat radiating off her body.

"Your quirk still hasn't fully healed I see… but it won't be long before it does." He reached out with his gloved hand snagging her chin. "I can feel the immense heat radiating off you."

"Best keep your distance then. I might burst into flames at any second the way you're pissing me off." She jerked her head away.

"Alright… I admit it. I don't actually love you… I said those things, did those things to you because I want you to trust me as much as you trusted Shigaraki Tomura. Blindly, faithfully."

"Yeah well it failed, it only succeeded in me trusting you even less."

"I agree it was a folly on my part… but something interesting happened that I didn't expect when I kissed you."

"Oh and what's that?" She raised a brow and went rigid as his face came in close. Their lips brushed just a bit, and Izumi lost all her breath.

"I liked it."

"Eh? What?" She blinked in confusion and made a muffled sound of protest as he closed the distance completely with a firm kiss. His arms pull her in so her sweaty half naked body pressed on him.

"I like kissing you," he panted against her lips licking the sweat off her cheek. "I like touching you, making you tremble in my arms. Even now, you're filthy: sweat covered, bleeding, bruised... and yet I can't stop myself from wanting you. One kiss is all it took."

"Kai stop it…" Izumi panted and placed her hands on his chest. "This is crazy, you can't be serious. Your mysophobia couldn't possibly be cured by-"

"One kiss…" he whispered it again and this time dragged her down to the floor, and placed her hand against his crotch. Izumi's eyes went wide when she felt the hard shape pressing against his pants. "...and suddenly I know why all those dirty old men ogle porn mags. Just one kiss and suddenly I know why the red light district exists."

Just one stupid kiss, Kai thought to himself, made him unable to concentrate on his work. He'd only spent an hour with Eri in the lab when normally he would have taken half a day. He couldn't concentrate, or focus… all he could think about was her. Suddenly everything he did to Eri disgusted him… every sound she made was like nails on a chalkboard.

It had never bothered him before… so why did it now? What had changed?

Her… it had to be her. Everything she'd done before that kiss had lead up to him caring. He cared about the way he dressed and looked in front of her. He cared about her past and wanted to know more about her. He cared about Eri, about the girl he'd used as his means of changing the world.

Now everything was falling apart… and it was because he couldn't get rid of this NEED he had for Karma. He needed to partch it, needed to rid himself of all these filthy desires before he became diseased.

"I don't care if it's love or not… I don't care if you continue your little affair with that quirkless loser." He unbuttoned his shirt and sent it flying across the room. "Give yourself to me… let me eat my fill… and be free of this distracting hunger."

"You can't be serious…" her breath quickened when he removed his gloves and removed her clothes by pinching the fabric between his fingers and rendering them to shreds. Now naked, izumi trembled and felt the piercing affect of his lust filled eyes.

"Deadly."

**~Kota and Eri~**

"Hurry Eri!" Kota pulled the girl along as they rushed through the alleyway. He could hear her small panicked breaths heave out as they cut corners and duck behind objects to lose their pursuiters.

"I don't understand Kota. Why are you doing this?" Eri asked in a panic.

"Because Izumi made me a knight." He glanced back smirking at her. "It's my job to keep you safe."

"Eh? Knight? Like in the stories?"

"Yeah." He squeezed her hand. "So I promise, I won't let them hurt you anymore Eri. We're gonna run as fast and as far away from here as we can."

"What about Izumi and Mr. Touya? We shouldn't leave them behind." She spotted light from ahead where the alley ended.

"Don't worry. Both of them are strong and can handle those guys on their own. We'd only get in their way if we stayed." He looked back at her. "We can go to Mr. Ace's house. I know he'll keep us safe. And he can-" Kota ran right into something hard and fell back. Both he and Eri hit the ground and he jerked his head up waving his fist. "Hey watch where you're-"

"Kota?"

The sound of his name halted Kota's voice. His eyes focused in the bright sun on the faces that hovered above him. He felt a cold sweat drip down his cheek as Bakugo, and Todoroki hovered over him looking startled by his sudden appearance.

"That is you, isn't it?" Shoto knelt down helping the two kids up. "What are you doing here?"

"I...that is-"

"Kou!" The quick disapproving shout had both Eri and Kota cowering in fear. Kota instinctively pulled Eri close to him, holding her hand and turning to face the imposing figure.

"Touya."

Mirio, Shoto, and Bakugo all look up as Touya stepped out from the alleyway, hands carelessly in his pockets, his mouth covered by the trademark mask of the Hassaikai. His red eyes met the three heroes first, before turning down to stare disapprovingly down at his small partner.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Dun, dun, dun!**_


	28. Desperado

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 28: Desperado**

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm sorry… I was just- Ow!" Kota rubbed the top of his head where Touya had smacked him.

"Are you an idiot bringing Eri out here in her condition?"

"Eh?" Kota blinked a bit in confusion, but the serious look in Touya's eyes had him stiffening up again.

"You know full well that she's been sick because of her quirk. So what gave you the bright idea to drag her out like this and in her Pjs no less?!"

"Eh... Oh I'm sorry!" Kota bowed apologetically and inwardly sighed with relief. Leave it to Touya to come up with a swift lie and save all their butts. He hadn't expected to run into heroes, let alone ones he knew. If they got wind of who he really was, Karma's identity would be in trouble.

"Save your apologies, I don't want to hear them. Jesus Christ, you can be such a pain." Touya muttered the last bit in English for affect and then looked to the three heroes again. He straightened up and bowed. "I apologize for my idiotic brother. He's been cooped up inside for awhile and tends to get restless. I'm sorry if these two have caused you trouble."

"Ah don't worry about it," Mirio waved it off. "Kids will be kids after all. Oh hey that mask, are you with the Hassaikai? You guys are famous around here."

"Yeah, but don't let the mask freak you out. Our boss is a real germaphob." Touya stood up straight again tapped his mask. He placed a hand atop Kota's head, lowering it to keep his face from being scrutinized. "I just recently joined up due to my sister's engagement, so I'm still new to the area and not really familiar with any of the heroes. Who are you?"

"You gotta be fuc-" Bakugo started to complain but Mirio quickly cut him off.

"Ah don't worry about that, we're still newbies ourselves." He motioned Bakugo back to keep some distance between them and Touya. "So your sister's engaged to one of the Hassaikai members huh? That's cool, when's the big day?"

"Next Saturday, presumably. Why? Want an invite?" He smirked and had Mirio laughing.

"No, no, I couldn't. Formal events aren't really my thing."

"Senpai…" Shoto murmured, his eyes still hard on Touya. He recalled Nighteye's warning before they went on patrol… _"Don't let them realize we're onto them." _ If this really was Kota and Dabi, they couldn't give away any hints to their itinerary. "We should get going. We're still on patrol."

"Ah, you're right. Let's get going, huh? Katsuki? Shoto?"

"Yes sir." Shoto quickly responded in a monotone.

"Yeah, whatever." Bakugo eyed Kota with a grit of his teeth. "Watch where you're going next time, kid."

"Bakugo…" Mirio scolded playfully. "You really should smile more, or you'll never get any fans. Come on, show those teeth." Mirio stretched his cheeks and made Bakugo shove him off.

"Get off! Don't touch me!"

Touya watched them walk away, and carefully ushered the two kids back into the alley before letting out a long breath. He removed the mask and placed it in the trash glaring down at Kota.

"What the hell were you thinking coming out without a guise on? Where's Izumi?"

"Back at the house…" Kota responded, both kids holding onto each other as the fear and relief washed over him. "We ran away."

"What? Why? What happened?" Dabi eyed Eri's wounds and held out his hand. Eri hesitated before offering it to him and he gently took it and immediately caught the scent of blood. His eyes instantly chilled.

"Please…" Eri whispered to him as the two met eyes. Tears spilled down her face. "Please don't make us go back, Mr. Touya. I don't want Kota to get in trouble because of me."

"You've sure got that wounded look down don't you Eri?" He gently pat her head. "Alright, I'll take you guys someplace safe… but in return you gotta tell me everything that's happened."

Both kids nodded in agreement. Touya picked Eri up and she immediately cuddled into his arms burying her face in his neck. Kota latched onto his free hand, and the three of them walked back into the light of the busy street… and away from the nightmare.

**~Meanwhile~**

Izumi stirred on the bed, the familiar warmth of a body next to her instinctively made her curl into it.

"Touya…" she murmured and opened her eyes… but it wasn't Touya she found. Kai lay still as a corpse, his body glistening with the sweat from his exertion. Guilt immediately stabbed Izumi in the gut and she slowly rose up and put her head in her hands. "Not again."

Why? She asked herself that over and over. Why did she have this sick compulsion to have sex with every man that came in contact with her? Tomura, Touya, now Chisaki… not to mention she'd had the sick fantasy of being sandwiched between Bakugo and Shoto.

"What's wrong with me?" She lounged against the bed frame, holding her heart as it ached in fear of what Touya's reaction would be to this. She'd already lost one man she loved… she didn't know if she could handle losing him too.

Kai stirred beside her, his arm stretching out and laying across her lap. She looked down at him, the peaceful expression on his face was so different from the way she was used to seeing him. Their quick little romp around the training room hadn't been enough to sate him. They'd dragged their bodies into the shower, spending more time touching and admiing each other's bodies as they cleansed under the hot water.

… and then couldn't resist another round tangled in the sheets of Chisaki's bed.

The man had said he'd had a hunger for her… and he wasn't kidding. He'd greedily, desperately, and famishedly devoured every part of her body that he could get his hands and mouth on. All that virgin curiosity and pent of need had resulted in him taking out years of dormant human desire… and she'd been the one to bring it out of him.

Why the hell did that make her so happy?

"Maybe I really am sick…" she murmured and unable to resist gingerly stroked her fingers through Chisaki's hair. When he murmured her name in response, she felt a little flutter in her heart and had to smile. "Mmm Kai."

The tender moment broke when she hear the vibrating sound of her cell phone. She stretched out her hand, instinctively trying to use her quirk to float it over… and grunted when she got no response.

"Ugh, damn it. I spent months getting used to that damn quirk, now it just feels weird not having it." She shifted, Chisaki grunting in protest when she moved away and his arms hugged her waist tighter. "Let go, Kai, I'm trying to get my phone."

"Let it ring…" he muttered, half asleep still.

"Baka…" she laughed and finally snagged the vibrating phone from the side table and placed it to her ear. "Hello?"

_"Are you alone?" _

"Touya?" His voice rang clear as a bell. The guilt came back, but only briefly. Her eyes went sharp as daggers from the cool tone he'd spoken in. "What happened?"

_"I'm at Ace's villa and I've got the two squirts with me. Kota sprung Eri from the mansion, and very nearly got himself caught by heroes in the process."_

"Excuse me?" Izumi calmly listening to the story of his encounter with Mirio and the boys. "What the hell are you talking about? Why the hell would Kota do that? Why would he leave base without me?" At the echoing silence her temper grew. "Answer me damn it!"

_"He found Overhaul's lab. It's the place he's been cooking up those anti-quirk bullets."_ There was another pause, and Izumi could hear Touya brace for her response. _"Izumi, he's been using Eri's body to create them." _

"What?" Izumi's pupils shrank, and her hand clenched into the sheets around her waist. Her temper burned inside her, fury and disgust building in her throat.

"What is it?" Fully awake now, Chisaki sat up seeing the fury light on her face. Her eyes met his, and pure hatred filled them.

_"He's there with you, isn't he?" _Touya spoke calmly, trying to soothe her through the phone, _"Don't lose your cool Karma. Even with your power, you can't take on his entire clan by yourself. Be smart, wait for Ace and I to-" _

"Shut up..." Tears spilled down her face as she forced herself to stay in character. Her body shook from the absolute disgust at herself and what she'd just done with this sick psycopath. "I don't want to hear your fucking excuses. How dare you give me these half ass results over the god damn phone! I didn't realize you turning Quirkless would also turn you into a fucking coward!

"_Izumi?" _Genuinely shocked by her choice of words, Touya tried to absorb what she was saying, but was shaken by the absolute hatred and anger and betrayal that filled her voice. It was almost as if she was talking about herself.

"I should have known better." She sobbed and bowed her head, every part of her body aching inside. "I should have known after that incident with All for One that I was better off alone! All allies ever do is complicate matters, and break your heart."

Touya picked apart her words, trying to piece the code together, but had a hard time getting past the hurt and pain that filled her voice. She was reacting far more harshly than he'd expected her to. Why did that bother him so much?

"I'll clean this mess up myself. If you know what's good for you take the next plane out of the country and get the hell out of my life!" Her head lifted up and her eyes showed murderous intent that had Overhaul's guard up. "... If I ever see your lying face again, I'll fucking kill you! Traitor!."

She hung up and threw her phone across the room so it smashed to pieces.

"Oi, oi, oi, I may be able to touch you now, but that doesn't mean you can make a mess of my room."

"Like I care!" She seethed, trying to figure out how to take out her raging aggression without putting herself in danger.

"I take it that wasn't a pleasant call?" Overhaul got out of bed, making his way to the bathroom to clean up.

"To say the least…" she grabbed one of his shirts from the closet. "Who's in charge of watching Eri when I'm not around?"

"Ah, what was his name again…" he tapped his cheek legitimately trying to remember the nameless face he'd hired. "Ah, Takeda I think. Why?"

"I'm going to kill him," she said straight out and looked Chisaki dead in the eyes. "Thanks to him Kota and Eri wandered off on their own and are now in Hero custody."

The dresser table he'd placed a hand on suddenly broke to splinters and his eyes raged back with the same murderous depth as hers.

"Say what!?"

**~Ace's Villa~**

Dabi hung up the phone, his hand gripping the cell so tight it started to crack. Even if it had all been coded, the words Izumi had spoke struck him to the core.

"She's trapped." He set the phone down and turned to Ace "Chisaki must have used the serum on her because she can't defend herself. She's ordering all of us to stay away."

"You're serious?" Ace clenched his teeth. "When Overhaul finds out his daughter is missing he'll go ballistic. He's gonna kill her!"

"I highly doubt it. He won't blame Karma for this." His eyes meet Ace's across the room, a secret conversation happening between the two adults. "What really concerns me is after that little encounter with the heroes this morning I know for a fact they know where she's at. It's only a matter of time before they get a warrant and raid the place. Without her quirk Karma is wide open for capture."

Ace's expression changed, his shoulders relaxed and he set a hand inside the coat pocket letting out a long exhasperated sigh.

"I see… so that's the real game she's playing." He rubbed the bridge of his nose "Our queen sure likes to play recklessly. A plan like that is full of errors. If we don't get the timing right or all the right pieces in play then she's as good as gone."

"She's willing to take that risk, and so should we. We can't always count on her brain to think things through for us. What we need to focus on is collecting the other pieces so she's free to play."

"Agreed. I'll get a message to Tomura. He received coded message of his own during their meet up. She intended to use him as a distraction in order to pull Eri out, but now that things have changed him showing up could just hinder it."

"I agree."

"I don't get it" Kota spoke up from the couch. Eri sat next to him, her legs pulled to her chest. Both of them looked lost by the conversation."Why is Izumi staying with the Yakuza?"

"She's playing Desperado." Touya explained solemnly, all the while looking out the window of Ace's villa.

"Des...per..ado?" Kota blinked, even more confused now.

"It's a chess move .Izumi is a master chess player after all." Ace explained with a small smile. "She likes using the tactics she's learned in chess to power up her moves in real life. In Chess, desperado is a piece that is captured and becomes a "sacrifice" in order to advance a player's strategy."

"That doesn't make any sense at all." Kota frowned. "She's the "key" piece in the game isn't she? If she's captured, then it's game over."

"No… that's what everyone else believes… but in Izumi's game, there's another key piece." Touya fingered the blue flash drive in his hand. What Ace said about this elaborate plan having many holes was an understatement. He had to play his part to the best of his ability, or it was game over for everyone. "So long as that key piece remains in play, Izumi's game continues."

**~Back at the Hassaikai~**

"AHHH PLEASE! PLEASE I'M SORRY!" The guard sobbed as two of the eight precepts hold him still as Karma carved her name into his back. "PLEASE STOP!" '

"Your incompetence has cost us greatly, Takeda." Overhaul spoke. "You should feel grateful that her majesty has decided to spare your life. If it had been left up to me I would have killed you without hesitation."

"If I had my quirk I would have had a lot more fun roasting your carcass slowly before doing this." She spread salt on the wounds so they would bubble and scar. "Still this will have to do. Stupidity isn't worth death… but should something happen to Kota or Eri as a result I may very well make an exception and kill you in spite."

Overhaul couldn't stop the smile that spread across his lips. Izumi was the kindest person he'd ever met, rivaling even his surrogate father. Because of that he'd nearly forgotten just how cruel she could be when Karma's wrath was unleashed. It was ridiculously attractive.

The loss of Eri had been a shock to his system. Without any warning he'd lost the key to his plans, the essential piece he needed to change the world. He'd unleashed his temper by destroying all manner of furniture, and had been sorely tempted to take his aggression out on Karma herself…

...but the fact she had just as much hatred and need for bloodshed in her eyes had calmed him. In a sense he quenched his need for punishment through her. He particularly enjoyed watching her meticulously place her letters in the skin, refusing to let little jerks and unconventional utensils ruin her handiwork.

As the sobbing mess that was Takeda was dragged out of the room, Karma cleaned her hands free of blood and gore, her eyes still sparking with temper.

"You should have killed him." Overhaul suggested. "Your rage is still present in your eyes."

"Killing him wouldn't have brought me any satisfaction." She picked up the knife she used and proceeded to clean it. "Besides, it's not him I'm really angry with."

"Dabi?"

Her hand jerked on the blade, nearly nicking herself. She was sorely tempted to tell him the truth and stab the blade right into his face. Instead she took a calmly breath and continued to clean the blade in silence.

Her silence made Overhaul uneasy. Dabi, or Touya as she called him now, was important to her. He didn't know the depths of their relationship, or how much trust there had been between the two. All he knew was that trust had snapped clean apart both by her having sex with him… and he for running away at the first sign of trouble.

Without him, would she be able to perform at the level he needed her to? Unless she could help him come up with an alternative plan he was back at square one… a goal with no means.

"He may be a quirkless coward, but he's still your closest friend. Shouldn't you forgive him? It's not like he'd have been able to do anything against the heroes once they found out who Kota was."

"I understand that…" She sighed heavily and dropped the knife altogether. "If I'm being perfectly honest, I blame myself more than I blame him."

"Why's that?" He lifted a finger using it to gently brush her cheek. She quickly slapped it away and turned to face him. The look on her face was of pure frustration.

"I'm the one that told Kota to look after Eri. I'm the one who told him I wanted to make her smile again." She grit her teeth shaking in frustration. "I didn't think he'd actually take her out on his own. I didn't think he'd go that far just to make me happy." She covered her face with her forearm, tears welling up and falling down one right after the other. "I should have paid more attention, I should have listened to what he had to say. Instead I was too busy thinking about that kiss. I was too busy worrying about how Touya would react when I told him that I was attracted to you, and that I wanted you."

She heard him make a sound of surprise, and her head lifted up. She walked to him, clenching her fists looking ready to punch him.

"Kai…" She sobbed his name and beat a single fist on his chest. "Why? Why did you have to complicate everything?" She did it again, harder this time.. "Why did you have to kiss me and make me want you?!" Her voice came out harsh and raspy as she screamed her frustration out. "WHY? DAMN IT!"

Shocked by her actions, and fueled by her words, Overhaul stepped to her, snagging her by the waist and crushing his mouth on hers. She sank into it, the initial pleasure of his kiss making all the hate and anger from before go fuzzy. For a long glorious moment she forgot about the outside world, forgot about heroes and villains, forgot about playing games, and crying little girls… and it was beautiful.

"I don't really know why…" he spoke softly to her, his grip on her waist not letting up. "All I knew was I saw the connection you'd had with Shigaraki… and I wanted that. I wanted you by any means necessary."

"Well you got what you wanted." She lay her head on his chest, shaking and hugging him tightly. "So take responsibility for it."

"Fine… What do you want me to do?"

"Be mine…" she lifted her head, and touched his face. "Marry me for keeps."

"Hmmmph, alright." He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. "Done."

Late at night, after she'd tired him out, Izumi left his room and wandered down to Eri's. She opened the door, stepping into the cutely designed room with its colored posters, pretty furniture, and girly items. She picked up a stuffed animal at random, held it to her chest.

The groundwork of her plan was laid out. Everything else was out of her hands. Once the plan was set in motion there was no turning back, no second chance. If she failed, she would either be captured or killed. If she succeeded…

She paused in that mindset and bit her bottom lip.

… If she succeeded, she'd become the kind of villain she'd always hated. The kind of villain that took advantage of everything and everyone in return for success and power. She'd become the new All for One.

Sick to her stomach by her choices she lay out on Eri's bed and just let the tears come freely..

"I'm sorry, Eri… I'm so sorry."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

**Briry: Getting closer to the end! I will have the Overhaul x Karma lemon uploaded on Archive of our Own within the next day or two so if you're interested, be sure to check it out. If you need a link I'll be posting it on my page "Bri's Fanfiction" once I upload it. **

**Next Chapter: Runaway Bride**


	29. Runaway Bride

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 29: Runaway Bride**

"Karma…" Kai sat on the couch in the meeting room, folding his hands together as he stare ahead at the figures in front of him. "Why the hell are these two here?"

"Apparently they're a wedding gift from Tomura…" She answered him, reading the letter that was sent with the gift.

"It'll be a pleasure to serve you once again my queen." Twice gestured elaborately and then flipped her off. "Go to hell!"

"Tomura-kun wants us all to be friends," Toga said with a creepy smile. "Despite everything he still loves you, Queeny. He wants to help you in your venture. So he sent us as we're not pertinent to his own plans."

"It says as much in the letter," She passes the letter to Kai who takes it and reads it for himself. She stands and walks up to them. "Still, I find it hard to believe he would just GIVE you to me. What's in it for him, I wonder?"

"My thoughts exactly…" He glances over his shoulder. "Shin."

"Yes Master Overhaul." Shin stepped forward.

"You know what to do." Kai leaned his head on his hands.

"Yes, sir." He extends his hand. "You will answer my questions." Activating his quirk he spoke loud and clear. "Why have you two come?"

"I came to be a part of Karma's plans" Twice spoke and blinked in confusion.

"I came because I wanted to be with Queeny!" Toga said ecstatically, and also had the same dumbfounded look. "Eh?"

Izumi's eyes lit with surprise as did Kai's.

"I wasn't supposed to say that." Toga held her mouth blushing. "How embarrassing."

"Kuso, we were supposed to feign ignorance." Twice covered his face. "Shigaraki's gonna be pissed."

"No, this is better." Izumi smiled and walked up Twice taking his hands off his face and holding them. "You really came to help me, Twice?"

"Ah…" teary eyed Twice pulled up his mask to show off his real face. "Tomura told us to help you so he can rebuild the trust between you… but the truth is I wanted to leave with you the moment All for One came into the picture. I'm sorry for betraying you, Karma."

"Jin…" Izumi's eyes went wet, she hadn't expected such an honest reply.

"I like Tomura-kun…" Toga spoke up and then hugged Izumi tightly from behind. Knowing Toga, zumi braced to be bit… but instead Toga just held her tighter. "...but I love you, Queeny."

"Toga-chan…" She turned into Toga's embrace and hugged her back. "Thank you, both. You're more than welcome to stay." She looked to Kai. "Yes?"

"Yes, they can stay." Kai stood, the emotional embrace making him uncomfortable. "So long as they can be useful."

"Just one more question," Shin spoke, unsatisfied with the current results. Once Karma was out of the way he activated his quirk once again. "Did Tomura mention anything about betrayal?"

Both Twice and Toga tensed a little from having the quirk activated on them…

_~Flashback~_

"You want us to join the Hassaikai?" Twice blinked. "I'm all for helping Karma out, but I don't like that Chisaki guy she's with. The man is totally using her."

"I agree…" Tomura scratched his neck eyeing the invitation, and the secret code Karma placed there.

_The Queen of Villains cordially invites_

_Toga Himiko, and Jin Bugaiwara._

_To participate in the nuptials of Kai Chisaki and Karma Karson. _

_On the morning of XX/XX/20XX_

_No children under the age of 8 are allowed to attend._

_There will be food, drinks, and other services provided _

_The event is a black tie affair so please look your best. _

_Please RSVP at your earliest convenience._

_We look forward to seeing you._

He understood most of what the code was describing, and now understood why Karma and Dabi chose to tie themselves to the Yakuza. It had nothing to do with this so called "Plan" of Overhaul's. Karma was making plans of her own, formulating a strategy to liberate something, or someone from the sounds of it.

"I agree he's using him… but Karma's not stupid. She's there for a reason, and won't leave until her objective is complete." He folded the invitation again and looked at the two. "Her little game in the warehouse was a wake-up call for us all. I, more than anyone, lost sight of what we truly wanted to accomplish." He holds out his hands. "I want to destroy the current world we all live in… and Karma wants to rebuild it into the vision or her liking. We may no longer be together, but our goals still coincide."

"That may be but are we just going to ignore the fact that she nearly killed me?" Magne complained.

"Nearly… but didn't." Tomura pointed out that distinct difference. "With the power she has now she could have easily killed us all, but she chose not to. Why do you think that is?"

"To use us?" Mr. Compress suggested nonchalantly.

"Could be… but she's not the use them and lose them type. She's the kind of person who builds relationships with those she works with, and brings out the best of their innate abilities. She will use those abilities to their advantage, to be sure, but she cherishes and values those she aligns with. That's why I'm choosing to trust her with you two." He holds out his hands. "Toga, Twice… you voiced your opinions the most when we all chose to betray her and flee."

"I didn't like mommy and daddy fighting." Twice pouted poking his fingers together in a dejected manner. "It didn't feel right."

"I do miss Queeny…" Toga admitted jumping off the crate she sat on and did a little dance. "She understood me best. She knows how painful the world is, and gave me a home where I can be myself and be comfortable."

"The two of you have a close relationship with her." Tomura spoke surprisingly somber and serious. "She considers you family, and I want to keep that relationship going even if Karma and I can't be together." He stroked the invitation again, recalling the post signature note on the bottom.

_P.S. Don't let the world defeat you._

"Don't let the world defeat you… Defeat the world, by ruling it." He recalled Karma's words out loud and lifted his head. It was Karma's way of saying "Stop being a coward, and keep fighting." Was it any wonder that he was still in love with her? "Karma gave me the wakeup call I needed, and is still supporting me even after I left her to die. What kind of king would I be if I didn't return the favor?"

_~End of Flashback~_

"Did Tomura mention anything about betrayal?"

"No." Both spoke in unison and sealed their place with the Hassakai.

**~Sometime Later~**

Karma stood out in the gardens, the bare bones for the wedding ceremony in place. Their team was on standby for full decorations until the morning of the event which left the night quiet and tranquil. It was the calm before the storm.

Everything was nearly in place, but Izumi still couldn't get rid of this aching in her chest. She'd spoken secretly with Ace, confirming the well being of Eri and Kota and making sure the plans on their side were going smoothly. He informed her that Eri and Kota were taken across seas as per her request and Touya with them. It gave her some relief that even if things took a turn, at the very least Touya and her charges would be safe.

He also informed her that Sir Nighteye, and All Might were working together with a small team of heroes and interns. It explained why Kacchan and Shoto were with Mirio, and why they were in the area when Kota and Eri had fled. It made her so mad at how easily Mirio and the others were fooled into just walking away from the situation. It was a testament to Touya's charisma, and an insult to any hero.

Afterall, what kind of hero walked away from a couple of kids who were clearly scared and in villain custody?

"Karma?"

Kai's voice broke her out of her thoughts and she turned to face him. She held one of Eri's dolls, a rabbit of all things, and was gently petting it between the ears.

"Yes, Kai?"

"You should get some sleep, there's only two days left and you don't want to look sallow in the pictures do you?" He lifted a gloved finger, gently stroking it over her cheek. There was the smallest hint of a flinch and it made him frown. "Nervous?"

"A little… I'm actually feeling kinda intimidated." She laughed a little and clutched the bunny to her chest. "I never planned to get married, especially this young."

"You're not that young, Karma. Twenty One is-"

"Cut the act, Overhaul!" She shoved the rabbit at him. "I'm sixteen not twenty one. My name's not Karma, or Usagi, or Midori, or any other stupid nickname people call me." She shook and clenched her fists at her side. "My name is Izumi Midoriya, a villain. Why hide behind a mask when the whole world knows who I am?"

"I'm not sure what brought on this tantrum. I thought you'd be happy now that you have the support of your family here." He bounced the rabbit in his hands, wondering why his stomach suddenly burned with guilt.

"Family… right…" she laughed bitterly. "I am happy to see Toga and Twice. I'm happy they chose to be here and help me… but how long will they stay this time? Villains are fickle, in the end we only ever care about ourselves and our goals." She looked at Eri's rabbit, tears slipping down her cheek. "...and I'm no better."

Kai eyed the rabbit again. So, that's what was bothering her. She still felt guilty for abandoning Eri.

The burning in his gut finally made sense now. He'd been sitting on Eri's secret for a long time… and it was eating away at him. He knew how to manipulate a person's emotions through logic and basic human reaction… but feeling and reacting to those emotions himself had been something he'd always struggled with even as a kid.

Sighing heavily, Kai snagged her wrist and pulled her back towards the house.

"Come on, there's something I wanna show you." He led her back inside, walked around the main rooms and to the end of the hall where one of the master bedrooms were. "Pardon the intrusion." He spoke aloud and opened the door. He let Izumi's wrist go long enough for him to light a few candles.

Izumi stepped inside, immediately smelled the scents of a hospital, and tensed up. The figure on the bed was an older gentleman. He wore nice robes and his hair was neatly groomed despite being bedridden. The tubes and wires that sustained him were connected to various machines that made little beeps and boops that took the edge off the silence.

"Who is that?" She asked, her voice trembling a little.

"He's the Hassaikai's true Boss." Kai spoke calmly motioning her forward. "He took me in when I was just a kid. Ever since then I've been doing what I can to repay him. I remained loyal to the clan, protecting the honor and integrity of the Hassaikai from anyone who discriminated against us. The old man didn't care for it."

So, Izumi thought with sad eyes. It wasn't Eri who was the other person he cared for. It was this man.

"He didn't?"

"No… he didn't." Kai sulked and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "He always said that the Yakuza are like knights, and should have a sense of Chivalry and honor. I thought he meant that we should protect our own, defeat enemies that stand against us… but you've brought a different perspective to light for me."

"I did?" She lifted her head up.

"Yes, you named Touya and Kota your knights. I didn't understand it. One was quirkless, the other was a child, and you were far more powerful than either of them. So why would you call them your knights?"

"I didn't make them my knights so that they'd protect me." She whispered it, tears forming in her eyes. "I made them my knights-"

"-so that they'd stay with you." He finished for her and brushed the tear that fell away. "You wanted their companionship, their loyalty, and their trust… and they both broke it."

No, they didn't… but the epiphany of his words were enough to move her to tears.

"Why are you telling me all this, Kai?" She looked up at him. "Why did you bring me here?"

"I told you from the beginning that I wanted your trust… and I hope this will be enough to earn it." He removed his glove and placed it over the old man's head. Quick and messy Kai used his quirk to restore the old man who jolted out of bed, sweaty and shaken up.

"Welcome back, Boss." Kai knelt and motioned Karma to do the same. Izumi hesitated but knelt beside him.

"Kai…" Memories of what had happened flashed back to him and he scowled. "What have you done?"

"Not as much as you think, or that I originally wanted." He fisted his hand on his legs and bowed his head. "I owe you the deepest of apologies."

"I think we both know it's a little too late for that." He eyed Izumi who sat there quiet and still. "Who's this?"

"Izumi Midoriya… but she goes by the name Karma Karson for reasons I will divulge to you later." Kai lifted his head. "I restored you, not only to apologize, but to receive your blessing on our marriage."

"What?" The Boss' eyes widened and he eyed Izumi again. She too looked just as surprised as he. Who was this girl?

"Eri is in hero custody, and is better off for it." Kai told him. "What I've done to her, what I had planned to do further, was wrong and I see that now. I got lost in my desires, focused solely on my goal and ignored everything else. Karma helped me see past it."

"Kai?" Izumi's voice shook. No… he was confessing? This wasn't part of the plan! "What are you…"

"I still intend to bring the Yakuza back into power… but this time I will do it the right way. In order to do so I need this woman by my side." Kai bowed his head. "Please give us your blessing."

"I will not…" The boss told him firmly and had Kai's head shooting up. Before Kai could retort the Boss spoke again. "I will only bless this marriage, if the feelings and goals are mutual." He looked to Izumi again. "Karma was it?"

"Yes sir?" She bowed politely still shaken up by Kai's sudden confession.

"Do you want to marry the man beside you? What are your intentions?" He tapped his fingers, and though she didn't know if this man had a quirk or what it was, his presence was severely intimidating.

"My intentions…" She swallowed hard, wondering what she should say. The truth? A lie? What would be the best course of action at this point in the game?

"Yes?" He asked impatiently.

"My intentions… are selfish." She spoke truthfully and lifted her head. "I… am a villain, sir. I don't know how long you've been comatose, but I'm a villain who seeks to change the world and help others by any means necessary."

"I see… and?"

",,,I was betrayed by my comrades, and left for dead. Kai saved me, and I've been helping him with his plan to bring about the new era of the yakuza." She fisted her hands on her knees. "Still it was all for selfish reasons. In truth I wanted the serum he was using to turn people quirkless, so that I could destroy the current hero society and start the world over from scratch."

"I see… if that's the case-"

"...but my goal has changed!" She spoke up again. "I want to marry Chisaki, not for my benefit but for his!"

"Hmmm?" The Boss raised a brow. "How so?"

"I'm the kind of villain who gets satisfaction from helping others, especially the kind of people heroes choose to ignore, like you did with Kai." She shifted her head giving Kai the smallest of glances. "So when he requested that I take care of Eri, my perspective shifted. I saw how timid and frightened she was and I wanted to give her a home where she could smile and be herself. I did what I could to strengthen the bond between the two of them. I helped secure funds for the Clan's security in order to make this home feel more relaxed and peaceful. I wanted everyone in the Hassaikai to feel like a family."

She started to cry as emotions that she didn't know were there came to light. Where had all this come from? Why was she just now realizing how much this place meant to her, and how much she was attached to it? This REALLY wasn't part of the plan.

"I'd been betrayed by my previous family… and I was desperate for the closeness and trust that came with family. Kai gave me a new start here, a place to make a family of my own." She lifted her head up high now and looked pleadingly into the Boss' eyes. "I want to marry Kai, so that I can become his family… and he can become mine! So please give us your blessing, please let me marry your son!"

The boss said nothing, but paid close attention to the girl and the words she spoke. None of these words were lies that he could tell. Her voice and tears were so sincere it was hard to believe that she had any kind of ulterior motive. Still…

"You speak the truth, but not the whole truth, Izumi Midoriya." He grunted and watched her expression hardened. "There are other goals in your mind… but it's clear that your intentions are good." He sighed heavily and looked to Kai. "Very well… it would seem you've reflected on your past mistakes. If this is the path you've chosen, then I will do what I can to protect it and you."

"Thank you, Ouyaji." Kai bowed again and then stood up, Karma joining him. "Would you be willing to hold off on my punishment until after the nuptials on Saturday."

The boss smiled warmly and in an old gesture they were both familiar with he pat Kai on the head ruffling his hair.

"I think I'd be willing to hold off for something like that."

_**~Later~**_

While the rest of the clan awoke and rejoiced at having their boss return, Kai and Izumi retired to his room. She stripped down into her sleeping garbs and turned to watch Kai do the same. Her head that had been a jumbled mess during the confessions had calmed… but still left her with this tug of war inside her heart.

"So… it was Eri's quirk that was the source?" She asked, breaking the silence between them.

"Yes…" He admitted calmly, bracing for backlash. "Are you angry?"

"I should be… I should be infuriated with you, and kill you where you stand." She waited a beat, waited for him to turn to her and look her in the eye. "I can't seem to bring myself to."

"Why not?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"I'm not sure." She admitted and sighed sadly. "I guess it's because I still need and want you."

"I see…" He folded the yukata over himself watching her expression. "Has your quirk returned?"

"Almost… I was able to light someone's cigarette, and levitate an apple… but I may need another day to completely heal." She stepped up to him and adjusted the flap on his chest. He took her hand lifting it to his mouth and placing a kiss there. The gesture warmed her heart. "It still feels odd seeing you so calm when you touch me."

"I still detest filth… but I no longer consider you amongst the filthy." He laced their fingers. "I have a gift for you. I'll leave it up to you to decide what you want to do with it."

"It's a little early for gifts, but I won't complain." She offered a small smile. "What is it?"

He reached over to his desk and held up a box. He opened it, and inside were five red bullets, and one blue one.

"These are all that's left of my research. Everything Eri went through before you saved her was all for this." He closed the case and placed it in her hand folding her fingers over it. "It's yours now."

"Kai… I don't..." She shook her head trying to hand them back but he pushed it more forcefully into her palm.

"My plans won't work without Eri, and even if she were still here I no longer have the stomach to keep doing it. Instead I'm gonna be selfish and ask that you help me come up with a new plan… one that'll make both our dreams a reality."

Izumi sighed and she accepted the box. Opening it again she pulled out the blue bullet.

"Is this..?"

"Yes. I don't know how you intend to pull that particular plan off… but I look forward to seeing it come to fruition."

"If you knew what I was planning you'd think I was crazy." She smirked up at him. "Do you still want to be involved?"

"Absolutely." He spoke confidently. "I want to see you come into your power again. I think it'd be thrilling."

"Oh it will be." She opened her robe and tugged the belt off his Yukata."So if you're still in… then I've got just the job for you." She let the sly smile spread across her lips and kissed him with deep fervor. She pulled him onto the bed pinning him under her meeting little resistance. As he took pleasure in the feast she offered to him, Izumi slipped back into the mindset of puppeteer, all doubts and guilts shoved aside.

_I shall show you your place in my game… you pawn._

_**~Day of the Wedding~**_

The white gown she'd chosen amongst the hundreds offered to her was both conservative and a show stopper. The full skirt was soft and flowy with lace and other vintage details that gave it a classic feel. Pearl buttons came up from mid back to the neck, covering her sleeves and shoulder with sheer sparkling fabric. She'd paired it with some white lace gloves which she'd remove during the ring service, but until then it made her look regal and divine.

"So pretty…" Toga, in the guise of a pretty brunette, admired the dress with pure delight. Her own blue strapless gown was cute but she ogled the white number with pure girlish delight. "Do you know what would make it even prettier?"

"You get blood on this gown, I'm liable to kill you Toga." Izumi pat her cheek affectionately and gave a single spin. "It's way more comfortable than I thought it would be."

"I made all the adjustments you wanted." Twice snapped scissors, wearing a plague mask instead of his own to keep from being recognized, and a tux for the occasion. "You're good to go, my queen."

"Thanks, and thank you for helping me with my hair Toga." She smiled liking the elegant braid Toga had twisted her hair into.

"My pleasure, Queeny." She looked at the clock. "It's time."

"We should go then, Toga-chan." He put his equipment away and saluted. "Good Luck, My Queen."

"Thank you both… and I promise to reward you once this is all over." She watched them leave and take their places, mixing in with the crowd of guests outside. She took a deep breath, putting a hand over her nervous stomach. Slowly she opened her eyes and picked up the box Kai had given her opening to admire the contents.

"This is it…" She shut it tight and slipped it into the pocket Twice had altered for her. "There's no turning back now."

A few minutes later music filled the air, and Karma walked down the aisle holding a pretty bouquet of roses. Kai stood at he altar, holding his hand out to her. She took it, smiling happily up at him as they spoke their vows, and exchanged rings.

"Karma Karson, Kai Chisaki, you have vowed and pledge yourself to each other in holy matrimony. If anyone wishes to object to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace!"

"Yeah, I object!" The chief of police stood at the end of the aisle holding up a warrant. Behind him a battalion of police officers, Eraserhead, Nighteye, Mirio, Bakugo, Todoroki and several other heroes stood behind him. "Izumi Midoriya you are under arrest!"

"Oh?" Karma's eyes lit up and she fisted her hand around the bouquet as the excitement stirred her up. "I'm sorry officer, but I think you're confused. There is no Izumi Midoriya at this venue."

"Enough games, Karma, we know it's you." The chief spoke boldly.

"Be careful," Eraser warned everyone. "She may be young, but she's a tricky kid."

"I know," The chief stood firm. "We have testimonies from reliable sources that you are indeed Izumi Midoriya. You, your comrade Dabi, and the young boy Kota are to come with us,"

"Who may I ask gave such a testimony?" The Boss stepped up ready to protect his new inlaw. "I can assure you none of my people did… and who are these other two you speak of?"

"The testimonies are from All Might who was her teacher, Mirio Togata who was her sparring partner, Katsuki Bakugo and Shoto Todoroki who were her classmates."

"That's an impressive lineup but it's far from accurate." Karma turned still holding her bouquet. "Every single person here," she gestured to her guests, "Can vouch that my name is Karma Karson. I'm an American citizen, and the wife of Kai Chisaki. Now I've had enough of this nonsense… unless you can provide substantial proof that my identity is false, we're done here. You're only going to further upset me, and my guests, so get lost!"

"You heard my wife," Chisaki stepped beside her and set his gloved hand on her shoulder. "It's time you all left."

"I'm sorry, but no. You're coming with us, Miss Midoriya." He motioned his men to group behind him.

"Tch…typical hero behavior, just jumping in without really considering the consequences." Karma's eyes darted around assessing each position. "If I'm really who you say I am. Then what could possibly make you think…" her eyes go slitted and her lips smile wickedly. "...that I'd come along quietly?"

Eraserhead jolted and he clenched his teeth erasing her quirk.

"GET HER!"

"AHHHHH!" Voices screamed behind him and the blood of each hero ran cold as half of the police force was set ablaze by a powerful blast of blue fire ignited from behind them. Karma laughed as her double at the altar melted away into mud, shocking all the guests… and Chisaki.

"By all means, Eraserhead…" Karma called out, the white wedding dress she'd worn burning to ash and revealing the sleeveless leather-like material underneath. Knives and other projectiles were strapped to her arms and calves. Blue flames danced in the curls of her braid, and her eyes showed such intensity in them. "Come and get me."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Only one chapter and an epilogue to go! Hope you guys are excited for it!**_

_**Next Chapter: A Last Ditch Effort.**_


	30. A Last Ditch Effort

**Midori the Queen**

**Chapter 30: A last ditch effort**

Mirio knelt beside one of the police officers, their special uniforms protecting them from most of the fire damage, but his face and hands were scorched. In one move, Karma had managed to knock out their entire back line of defense without killing anyone.

"What the hell, Karma!?" He heard Chisaki scream from the altar, looking enraged.

"Forgive me for deceiving you, darling," she bowed graciously. "I would have liked to continue playing house with you, but it would seem my usefulness here has come to an end," She blew a kiss and waved flirtatiously at the heroes with her fingers. "Farewell."

"Don't you dare!" Kai removed his glove and slammed his palm to the stone ground. The officiant panicked and fell off the stone and into the pond as it extended up and vaulted Chisaki over the crowd and the fire. Karma was already making a break for the house, and Chisaki followed her there on a sprint.

Chaos ensued as the guests stood up and raced around in a panic not sure where to run. The police which were meant to be used for crowd control had been taken out, so the heroes were swept up in the stampede

"She knew we were coming." Shoto spoke up over the screams as he and Bakugo tried to navigate through the crowd of people. "She planned to take out crowd control to make it harder for us to act."

"No Shit, Sherlock!" Bakugo sneered. "Oi! Out of the way, Extras!"

"I'm going ahead!" Mirio shouted over the crowd and used his quirk to bypass the crowd and ran into the house.

"Wait! Senpai!" Todoroki cursed and finally broke free. He snagged Bakugo's wrist pulling him the rest of the way out, and one by one the other heroes weeded themselves out.

"After them!" Nighteye ordered. "We can't let Karma escape!"

**~Inside the Mansion~**

Karma pressed the wall tiles in sequential order and ran inside the underground passageway. She made it down the steps before hearing the for open again and Chisaki's footsteps behind her. She turned on her quirk, covering herself in aura and turned to face him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He panted and snagged her elbow dragging her further into the passageway and into a nearby room. "We could have kept up the bluff, they can't force you to-"

"I told you, you'd think I was crazy." She stated simply and made him stop mid pace. He glanced back at her, looking at her smug smile.

"You gotta be kidding. That's your big plan?" He took her by the shoulders giving her a quick shake. "That's suicide! If something goes wrong you could wind up caught or killed!"

"You don't see all the pieces I've lined up. I'm confident in my plan and at this rate ive little to lose." She shrugged him off. "If you don't want to be involved you should have stayed at the altar and feigned ignorance. It's the best course for you and the clan, anyway."

"Hate to tell you this but it's not gonna happen." Chisaki warned her. "Believe it or not you're actually really respected around here. They're not just gonna stand by and let you take the fall."

"I'm touched… but I'd feel better knowing you guys will thrive without me." She flexed her hand in and out. "If you want to bring the Yakuza back into power you need to breakaway from villainy and strengthen your bonds. Strong wills bring about strong people, and there's great value in loyalty and companionship."

"I already learned that much from you." He snagged her hand to stop her from leaving. "If you're really going through with this elaborate plan of yours, I'm not gonna let you do it alone."

"There's no benefit in it for you." She turned around. "If you get captured-"

"It'll be no different than if I'm not. I'll still be back at square one without you by my side." He laced their fingers together. "I need you Karma, or did I not make that clear? I didn't ask you to marry me just for you to run away and leave me in the dust. I asked you to marry me because you're the only person who has the same aspirations as I do. Whatever you're planning, whatever course you decided to take we're in this together, for better or worse, got it?"

"You are a stubborn husband, I'll give you that." She smiled affectionately. "You're gonna follow me whether I want you to or not?"

To answer her he crossed his arms and blocked the door 2ith his body. She gave a heavy sigh.

"I'm gonna regret this. Fine, but you better not get in my way."

"No promises." He takes her hand again the two of them briskly walking out of the room and down the hallway. "There's an exit on the very bottom level which will lead us to the outside. We'll be able to regroup and avoid the heroes."

"We should be running, it won't take long for the heroes to find that secret door. That young hero Lemillion can walk right through walls."

"In other words we need a distraction." He pulled out his cell phone and held it to his ear. "Chronos, set them loose. Order #66"

"Yes Sir, Shin and I will be waiting for you at the checkpoint." Chronos responded and hung up. He eyed Shin who gave a nod and turned to their comrades.

"Eight Precepts! Dispatch!"

**~Meanwhile~**

"We've searched the entire house but no sign of Karma, Chisaki or Senpai." Shoto informed.

"It's likely that there's some kind of secret passageway." Nighteye adjusted his glasses. "It would be easier to search if one of you would show us where."

"I will." The Boss stepped up ignoring the pleading looks from his followers. "You'll need to hurry though, Kai's turned the place into a labyrinth and they've already got a head start."

"We appreciate the help, sir."

"No boss please!" One of his members step forward and becomes restrained by Centipeder. "You can't just-"

"Be silent and sit! For crying out loud what has gotten into all of you?" The boss frowned. "You lot must be insane aligning yourselves with that girl. She used and betrayed us and you're still defending her?"

"I'm perfectly sane! She's not the villain you all make her out to be!" The member pleaded. "She saved us!"

"Saved?" His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean saved? From what I can tell she's just dragging us down into the mud."

"Karma may have only been using us as a cover, but that doesn't matter. We're just low class villains in the eyes of society, but you always say we should have pride and honor. Karma understood that, and did everything she could to fit in and improve our way of life."

"He's right…" Another man, already bound, spoke up. "Chisaki was going off the deep end before any of this happened. He was bringing in all kinds of thugs and ruffians he could put under his thumb, but that all changed with her.. She brought us together, made us feel like a family again. As far as I'm concerned she is and always will be one of us."

"Agreed! Villain or no villain she'll always have my loyalty."

Nighteye rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The Yakuza were known for being loyal to their own, but Karma had slipped so seemlessly into their ranks and earned their loyalty and respect within a few shorts weeks. Even their Boss was at a loss for words.

"With or without your help we will find her." Bakugo boasted. "You'll make it easier on yourselves if you just cooperate."

"Well put, Bakugo." Nighteye encouraged. "We won't force you to cooperate with us, but the Irvine will be the same regardless." He pat the Boss on the shoulder.

Shaking off the shock of his clan's uprising, the Boss numbly walked beside Nighteye as he lead them to the entrance of the underground labyrinth.

"I'm not sure if she's being manipulative, or genuine, but Izumi really seems to have a way of resonating with people." Shoto commented.

"She does..." Nighteye agreed and pushed his glasses into place. He watched the boss press the sequence buttons, and the door opened. Several members leap out to attack all of them quickly taken down by his sidekicks. Outside the ground shook and the sounds of another fight broke out. "Which is exactly what makes her so dangerous."

**~Kai & Karma~**

"Whoa!" Izumi stumbled and leaned up on the walls as things shook and distorted.

"Sounds like we've just bought ourselves some time." Kai commented, surprisingly calm despite the tense situation.

"Really? I hear the opposite. We should keep moving. The louder those sounds get, the more trapped I feel." Izumi wiped her brow, her face looking pale.

"You put on a good show, Karma." Kai pulled out the napkin from his pocket and handed it to her. She took it and wiped her face. "From your boasting before I didn't think you were all that nervous."

"If I only have myself to worry about than I'd be fine. It's a different story when I have someone at my side I need to protect."

"Who's asking for your protection? I can handle myself just fine."

"You don't know these people… I do." She argued and took a long deep breath to finish calming herself. "There's so much room for error here. I can't afford to lose my objective."

Kai nodded and took her elbow pulling her further down the hall. Near the end, Shin, Chronos, and another member named Dodoro waited for them.

"I take it the nuptials got canceled?" Chronos spoke dryly and eyed Karma. He hid the smugness of his smile noticing she looked work out already just from the excitement.

"To say the least…" Kai grunted. He shared a look with Chronos who shifted to his side and loaded his gun. Shin followed suit standing beside Dodoro who popped off the cap of his liquor bottle and began to drink. "Are you all clear on what you have to do?"

"Yes sir!" Shin nodded. Both he and Dodoro started to walk past Karma.

"We need to keep moving and find a good place to-" Izumi started to speak, but with a quick whip of his arm Shin slammed the butt of his gun into the back of her neck, knocking her down and unconscious.

"Nice work, Shin…" Kai congratulated and took the face mask from Chronos slipping it on. He tugged his tie free and ran fingers through his hair to muss it up from the slick back he'd had. "I was afraid we'd have to resort to using more of the product."

"I've got a car waiting at the exit." Chronos told him. "We should hurry before the heroes catch up."

"Right…" He motioned to Karma. Chronos made a face behind his mask, but obediently picked her up hauling her over his shoulder. "Sorry about this, my wife." He gently stroked her cheek. "...but I warned you that we weren't going to let this happen. You're too important for me to just let you play such dangerous games."

"Slosh, Shin, cover our backs." Chronos ordered, Kai taking lead down the hall with him and Shin right behind. Dodoro leapt up to the ceiling and out of sight.

Kai could feel the pressure in his chest rise as the sounds above became more noisy and disruptive. Mimic seemed to be going nuts upstairs, changing around the very structure of the basement whilst putting a stop to the hero's advancement.

Even if Mimic was defeated, it would take some time to navigate through such a maze. Feeling confident his pace slowed some and he eyed the unconscious Izumi. She would be upset when she awoke, he was sure, but she was too detrimental to his plans to just give her up. He knew she'd had a grand scheme planned, but what had formed in that chaotic mind of hers would no doubt have led to her capture. Even if she'd managed to escape, the events would ultimately drain her of all her enthusiasm and motivation.

"Excuse me!"

Tension rose up as Kai and his team turned to face Mirio. Sweaty and fierce, the young hero eyed the unconscious Karma, and took in the situation at hand.

"Can I ask you some questions?"

Kai narrowed his eyes on Mirio. This was the boy Karma had mentioned before. Lemillion? The one able to walk through walls.

"You shouldn't have been able to get here so fast."

"I took a shortcut," he teased, but his expression was anything but happy. He clenched his fists taking another step forward. "I'm here to capture that girl. Please hand her over."

"That statement was incorrect just now." Kai informed turning to face him fully. "Your expression and movements suggest you're not here to capture her… but to "save" her, am I right?" When Mirio said nothing he pressed further. He pointed a finger at Karma. "She doesn't want your help."

"I'd like to hear that from her, not you. She'll get my help regardless." He put up his fists, ready to fight.

"Looks like I'm not getting through to you." Chisaki sighed heavily and turned his back motioning his men forward. "I'm telling you to die."

"Wait!" Mirio took two running steps forward, then felt his sense of equilibrium shift. He collapsed onto his hands and knees having the violent urge to throw up. It was then he noticed the villain above him, drinking heavily and babbling sluggish nonsense.

With his warped senses Mirio barely noticed the other man in front of him. He dodged the first bullet directed at him, then used his quirk to avoid being hit by the second.

"What's your quirk…" Shin spoke, his quirk activating and echoing through the halls.

"Permeation, when it's activated I can phase through anything." Mirio spoke and let out a small gasp. He hadn't meant to say anything.

"I see, I was wondering how you popped up from nowhere. That explains how you got past Mimic and the others."

Damn it, Mirio thought to himself still trying to maintain an upright position. He could see Chisaki and his minion disappearing further down the dark corridor. He couldn't let them get away. He had to think of something.

Shin in the meantime tried to think of what to say to shake the young hero off balance even further. He wasn't talking as much as he'd hoped, but something stood out to him. Master Overhaul had said that he wasn't here to capture Karma, but to save her.

"Do you honestly believe Karma can be saved?"

"No." Mirio gasped as that came out of his mouth before he could stop it. "I don't."

"Oh? Then why are you trying so hard to do so?"

"Because everyone else believes it." He grit his teeth and clenched his fists. "All Might, her classmates, Kota, even some of the members in the Shie Hassaikai stood up for her. They all believe in her, so I want to believe in her too!"

"Too bad for them that your first instincts were right. Izumi Midoriya can't be saved, and Karma is going to assist the master in his ambitions!"

"You mean use her!" Mirio clenched his teeth. "That girl has been through enough because of selfish villains like you." His body shook, emotions he hadn't known were there spreading through him. He remembered Izumi's cheerful smile, her sweet laugh, and fierce determination. She'd had such an innocence about her… but it soon became warped by the evil she surrounded herself in. "Izumi was my junior. All Might trusted me to look after her, but I failed to protect her. Even if I can't save her, I will capture her and make the suffering stop!" He held his breath, phasing through the walls and floor over and over to make them lose bearings. He knocked Dodorio off his perch, then rose back up right in front of Shin and delivered the finishing blow. "PHANTOM MENACE!"

Kai turned around having heard the commotion. He saw his men on the ground and managed to sense Mirio's presence behind him. He back bend, narrowly avoiding his attack, but Chronos wasn't so lucky. Mirio's foot smashed right into his face and his body was launched a good few feet away. Mirio caught Karma before she fell holding her against him as he took a knee.

"Izumi!" Mirio pulled her head back but she slumped against him, still unconscious. His eyes returned to Chisaki who stood upright looking irritated.

"Filthy… how dare you touch what's mine?" He rubbed at his face, feeling it break out. "Give her back to me."

"No… her place is in police custody, as is yours." Mirio narrowed his eyes, watching for any suspicious activity.

"Custody? That reminds me…" He lifts his head, and shows off the glove he'd removed. "You lot have Eri and Kota as well, don't you?"

"Eh? KUSO!" Mirio leapt up just as the ground floor turned into a barrage of spikes. "Shit he's fast! That was too close. Didn't he care that Izumi was here?"

"It wouldn't have impeded me if she broke. I can revive her so long as I put her back right away." Overhaul informed keeping his eyes keen on his target. "She's experienced it before, after I sprung her from the hospital."

"That explains why she looks different. Tch!" He clicked his tongue dodging another barrage and keeping Karma out of harm's way.

"What'll you do I wonder if Karma does get injured." He calls out, keeping the lashing attacks going. "I'm the only one who could heal her if she does."

Mirio clicked his tongue again, looking around as all his exits were blocked and the hallway had become a wide open space with jagged ledges.

"Are you gonna fight me, Mr. Hero?" A bullet shot out and Chisaki looked to his left to see Chonos had regained consciousness and stood up. Reaching into the pocket of his tux he tossed another gun at him. "Here, use this one. Aim for the arm holding Karma" He told Chronos watching as Mirio bent down still holding Karma protectively against him.

Izumi groaned as she started to regain consciousness. Her eyelids fluttered opened and she met Mirio's gaze.

"Senpai?"

"Hey Izumi," He smiled at her. "Have a nice nap?"

"I guess I-" She trailed off as she saw the glint of the gun in her peripheral vision. Her breath hitched when she reached down for her holster, and found it empty. "No." Her face went white as a sheet and she screamed. "NO!"

It all happened in slow motion. The sound of the gun, her body reacting before she could stop it. She leapt at Mirio, their bodies colliding and she knocked him down to the ground. Her quirk reacted in response, freezing the bullet mid-flight above them. Sweatbeads dripped down her temples, her breath came out in shaky pants as her quirk released almost instantly and the bullet dropped harmlessly to the ground.

"Izumi?" Mirio blinked at her in surprise, his hands gripping her hips to keep her supported upright. She picked up the bullet and Mirio recognized it immediately. The hero fat gum had told them of such a product during their group meeting."Did you just save me?"

"I…" tears filled her eyes and fell down her cheeks. "I just… I didn't want to be the reason." She started to explain but her sobs choked on the rest.

"The reason?" He sat up wiping her tears away.

"Senpai…" she lifted her head up to meet his eyes again, and saw Chronos taking aim again. The tears stopped and were replaced with blind fury. She slapped Mirio's hands away and leapt to her feet. She turned hostile eyes onto Chronos, her hair floated breaking free of its braid, and the curly locks burst into flames.

" What are you doing, Karma? Now's our chance to-" In seconds she rushed him, slamming her fist into his gut making him double over. She then took his mask in hand and he instantly felt the heat from her rising. "Wait! WAIT!"

"Don't tell me what to do pawn…" she told him raspily, her palm smoldered, the flames set to ignite. Kai snagged her wrist jerking it upwards and away.

"That's enough, Karma!"

"No! You don't get to tell me what to do either!" She smacked his hand away then grabbed him by the wrists so he couldn't touch her. "Why? Why does everyone always betray me? Why!?"

"Izumi…" Mirio whispered still sitting stunned on the floor. He heard such pain and confusion in her voice that it broke his heart.

"I can't trust anyone anymore…" she shook and increased the pressure on his wrists hearing the muscle contract and his bones threaten to break. "Sensei betrayed me, then Nakahara, and Stain. Tomura, the league, Kota, and now even you Kai?"

"I didn't betray you…" he told her trying to pull free. "Your plan won't succeed. I'm trying to help you! I'm trying to-"

"I don't NEED your help!" She screamed in his face. "I'm not a damsel in distress, nor am I a weak baby rabbit that needs your god damn protection! I'm the fucking Queen of Villains!"

Her hands ignited scorching Kai's hands bringing him to his knees as he struggled to pull free from her hold.

"I thought you of all people would remember that." She finally let him go, staring down with such animosity and fierceness. Movement caught her eye and she saw Mirio get to his feet, his cape discarded and all the gentleness and sympathy gone from his eyes.

"Why did you do that?" He questioned her in a harsh voice. "He was trying to protect you wasn't he?"

"Like hell!" She shoved a boot atop of Kai's back pushing him into the ground, the pain filled sounds from his mouth increasing. "Don't you dare judge. when you don't know a thing about what's been going on here."

"Then enlighten me." He pushed, crossing his arms disapprovingly.

"Ha, and kill enough time for your back up to arrive?" She tossed her hair back over her shoulder. "Fat chance." She poked Kai with her boot. "You can have a consolation prize though."

"K-Karma…" He held out a blackened hand. "Don't…"

"You shut up…" She stomped her boot onto his hand grinding her heel. His cries of pain echoed in the open space. "I warned you, Kai. I told you that if you didn't want any part of my plan then you'd best feign ignorance. Instead you betrayed me, you turned coward and started to run just like the league did when they abandoned me." She kicked him hard. "Well fuck them, and fuck you!"

"How about you fuck yourself!" Chronos shouted from behind her, shooting with his own gun. She quickly dodged and just like before yanked the gun right out of his hands and into her own. She whirled her foot around, kicking him in the face and sending him careening into a nearby rock.

She sensed Mirio behind her, and her body went ablaze. His attack landed, but Mirio felt the intense burn of her fire on his hand and immediately backed away. The fire died down and Karma stood unharmed, shaking the punch off with a laugh.

"Nice try, Senpai… but I'm not the same girl you sparred with at U.A."

"So I see…" Mirio tossed his burned cape and glove off and got into a fighting stance. "Bring it on, then!"

"Heh, cute, but I'm on a schedule." She turned to face him fully and licked her lips from the excitement that bubbled up. "So I'll make this quick."

She crouched and the nearby rocky debris rose up from the static energy of her aura. Fire circled her, pulsing like a sun and radiating intense heat.

Mirio's eyes glazed over in awe at the brilliant display of power. He knew that blue fire was one of the new quirks All for One had given to her… but it was clear that something else was giving her that extra boost that helped her to withstand his power. Those three quirks combined were a deadly combination… and Mirio knew if he wasn't careful he could very well lose.

"Let's do our best, IZUMI!" He launched towards her. Karma unleashed her attack, a cyclone of rocks and fire swirling together and coming right at him. He ducked underground, waiting a beat and preparing his angle before releasing his quirk. He came up out of the ground, and gasped when she was right there waiting for him, a dagger in hand. He took the blade right in the side, and quickly phased out again in order to back away and assess what she'd done.

She predicted where I moved? No… she made me appear there, using her fire to guide me where she wanted me to go.

"Clever as always." He smiled despite the pain and held his bleeding side.

"If this is the best you've got Senpai, I'm going to be really disappointed." Karma laughed and twirled the bloodied knife in hand crouching into a readied position.

They both move in, aiing for the offensive. This time Karma missed her target, but the punch Mirio through her way only rattled her a bit. She felt no pain from the hit, and let the impact skid her back and along the rocky surface. Her energy vibrated and expanded, turning to whips and lashing out, forcing Mirio to dodge and zip through the maze of spikes Kai had created. When she found her opening, Karma moved in, throwing the knife at his face. Because he had people behind him he caught the blade instead, and took the fist to the gut she followed through with.

Immediately after hitting she unleashed fire from her hand, Mirio instantly feeling the intense burn of her flames. He phased through it, not seeing any other alternative. He was taking damage left and right, Karma's tactics and clever brain being used to their full advantage despite clearly having less stamina than him. She took advantage of every opening, injuring him and breaking down his defenses where she could.

On top of that she was hard to predict. She kept changing up her moves and directions, remaining enigmatic and stoic mid battle.

"You've gotten so strong, Karma." He praised wiping sweat from his brow. "Color me impressed."

"Your'e the one who taught me to predict my opponents moves and react accordingly." She tossed up her knife and let it float there. "I'm only being a good junior and applying the techniques you've taught me."

"So you are…" He laughed and stood up straight. "Guess I've got no choice. I need to go full throttle if I'm going to beat you."

"Hah?" Her eyes narrow. "You've been holding back?"

"Of course, you may be a villain, but I really don't want to hurt you." He shrugged it off laughing.

"Tch, yeah whatever." She smirked confidently and placed a hand on her hip. "No matter how fast you get you won't be able to-" Before she could even finish her sentence she was staring Mirio face to face. She was barely able to put up her aura before he was punching her full force in the face. Her head whipped back and she felt herself flying and skidding through rock and debris.

She coughed and got to her feet, finally feeling the pain. The next hit she didn't even see, all she saw were stars as he knocked her around the room, fast and hard.

"He's fast! Too Fast! My mind can't keep up with-" She struggled to her feet and felt the finishing blow hit her across the neck. For the second time that day she fell unconscious, but this time Mirio was there to catch her.

"Whew, thank goodness you finally passed out." He cradled her up into his arms. "If I'd gone a full hundred percent, All Might wouldn't have been happy with me."

He turned his head as the wall exploded open, and Bakugo leapt through ready for battle.

"Where are yah bad guys! Come on! Fight me!" He screamed out, and looked around pissed off as all the villains were down for the count.

"Ah, nice timing, Bakugo." He motioned to Kai and Chronos. "I could use some help restraining these guys."

"Are you fucking serious!?" He exploded and stamped his feet. "Damn it!"

**~Sometime later~**

Karma stirred as the cuffs were put on her. She lifted her head groaning as she watched Kai's limp body being loaded into an ambulance.

"Kai..." Guilt rose up in her chest whens he saw the state of his hands. Her temper had raged out of control and she felt tears burning in the back of her eyes. "I'm sorry, Kai!" She started to get up the grunted as an arm forced her back down.

"Don't even think about it Usagi." Bakugo sneered down at her. "You're not getting away this time."

"Kacchan? You're here?" She looked around at the situation trying to get her bearings. The Eight precepts were all under arrest and restrained. The injured were being tended to by paramedics, or loaded onto stretchers. The wedding guests were either taking statements, or ushered away. As far as the Hassaikai went, most of their members were under arrest being loaded into detainment vehicles.

"Wait… wait!" Her voice was raspy and she struggled to stand. "Dont, don't arrest them. They did nothing wrong. I used them, let them go!"

"I find it hard to believe they were all fooled by your guise Karma." The Chief stood above her, crossing his arms and glaring down at her. "Many of them have already confessed to harboring you of their own free will."

"Or so they think, trust me they don't know! You don't need to arrest them, Detective. They're not a danger to you or anyone anymore. Please release them, I take full responsibility for-"

"Why should I listen to you?" The chief approached her, arms crossed. "You're in no position to give me orders, Miss Midoriya. The Hassaikai will have to accept their fate, the same as you." He nods to the officers. "Take her away."

"Wait… DAMN IT I SAID WAIT!" She struggled and kicked. "I can give you the league of villains!" She screamed halting everyone, even the nearby heroes in their tracks. "Grant the entire Hassaikai pardons and I'll tell you everything I know about the league of villains! Locations, names, quirks, everything!"

The detective stopped and turned towards her. Izumi looked at him pleadingly.

"You'd make a plea bargain for them?"

"Yes…" She panted. "...but only if that includes every single member of the Hassaikai, which means Kai Chisaki is to be given one too."

"Humph…" He looked over his shoulder at the damage and such that had been caused. "No."

"You're a fool if you pass up this chance. Kai can't use his quirk anymore, he's not a threat, but the league still is. Give pardons to everyone and I will tell you all I know."

The police chief crossed his arms tapping his fingers on his forearm. The bait was juicy, and the risk small.

"Fine, I'll run it by the board and the heroics committee… however, let's make one thing clear." He held up a finger in her face and then pointed it in her direction. "That pardon does NOT include you."

"Yes, that's fine…" She calmed, bowing her head as the relief spread and she allowed herself to be taken away. "I've already accepted my fate."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Just the epilogue to go! I can't wait! I hope you guys will enjoy it! **_

_**Next Chapter: Epilogue: The Phoenix Arises**_


	31. Epilogue: The Phoenix Arises

**Midori the Queen**

**Author's Note: Thank you to all my readers for your feedback and help in forming the outcome of this fic and the soon to be released continuation of the Villain Timeline. This will be an epilogue chapter so it may drag some. Enjoy!**

**Epilogue: The Phoenix Arises**

"I don't like this." Aizawa fidgeted looking around at the settings. "I don't like this at all."

"She deserves to have her voice be heard, Aizawa-kun." All Might tried to reassure his friend and gave a pat on the back. "She'll be locked away after this, and you want to hear what she has to say just as much as anyone."

"That may be true, but Karma's been known to escape more than a few times when our guard has been down. I'm not letting it happen again." He crossed his arms, keeping his tired eyes on the girl who sat chained to the interrogation table.

The door opened, and an officer escorts Mirio, Bakugo and Shoto in. Their minor wounds bandaged and clothes freshly changed.

"Has she said anything yet?" Shoto asked joining them at the window.

"No, Detective Tsukauchi went to grab some files. He has a feeling that this will be a long talk, so make yourselves comfortable." Aizawa motioned them to sit, but both remained standing and looking through the window. When Tsukauchi walked in, everyone braced for what was to come.

"Hello again detective." Karma greeted looking calm despite being chained down, and her quirks suppressed. Spending a full three days in lock up hadn't diminished her confidence and she was clearly feeling superior despite the drawbacks in her escape plan.

"Hello again, Karma. Comfortable?" He offered a small, professional, smile.

"As much as I can be, given the situation." She smiled while crossing her legs, the movement making him flinch a little in response. The obvious knee jerk reaction made her want to laugh, but she stayed professional. "I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to hear me out."

"Well now," he laughed softly. "I could hardly pass up the opportunity to get your statement. You're the key piece to taking down your former crew, and everyone wants to know how and why such a bright and clever young hero decided she wanted to become a villain."

Karma's smile immediately dropped and Tsukauchi felt his blood go cold.

"Let me make something quite clear, Detective. I didn't WANT to become a villain. The only reason I did was because my morals and thoughts were being manipulated by a man who only saw the darkness of this world, and he narrowed my vision."

"I see, you're talking about the villain you fought against in Kamino. All for One, am I correct?"

"Yes… that's the one. He saw my potential, and made me what I am today. I was too young and stupid at the time to see the truth, and once I realized I'd past the point of no return I walked the line between heroism and villainy, unable to commit to either side."

"Why couldn't you do it?" Tsukauchi asked genuinely curious. "You've shown you're clearly capable of committing crime, but you fluctuate back and forth between being good and bad. Why is that?"

"We're taught at a young age that lying, cheating, stealing is all wrong, and that's what villains do. Telling the truth, playing fair, helping and saving people, that's what heroes do, and it's what I've always wanted to do. I didn't want to hurt people, I didn't want to do a lot of the things that I did. When I couldn't stop it, when I realized there was no going back, I decided to take hold of my power and embrace it. I can't just say "I'm sorry" and hope the world will forgive me. That's not the way the "Game of Life" is supposed to be played."

"The Game of life?"

"Yes, and that's where my story might get a little meta…" Karma laughed and tapped her temple, chains rattling as she did so. "Not everyone is going to understand it."

"Enlighten me…" Tsukauchi pushed and Karma agreed with a shrug.

"Alright. We're taught that life is like a chess board. There's white pieces… the good people: heroes, police, the innocent civilians. Then there's the Black pieces, Villains, killers, thieves, etc. Everyone seems to think the world is made up of these Blacks and White pieces, but what they fail to realize is that there's grey pieces. Grey pieces are people like me who had no intention of doing wrong, but weren't really given a choice in the matter. Those pieces don't fit in the game that everyone is taught, because they don't follow the same strict rules everyone else does. We can't be white, because we have been stained by something or a situation out of our control, but we can't bring ourselves to go that extra mile and fully commit to being black. So instead of trying to force myself into either side, I decided to change the game entirely."

"You wanted to make new rules instead of being forced into a position you weren't comfortable in." Tsukauchi interpreted.

"Exactly." She leans forward looking eager as she explained. "That's been my goal all this time, detective. To build a game where all the individual pieces can be used. I want people to see that white pieces aren't just white, and black pieces aren't just black. We're all grey, some shades darker than others, but all capable of change. To prove it, I became a villain that did crime like she's supposed to, but I did it in order to save people and made sure it was in a way that would gain attention and change everyone's perspective on how the world works."

"A villain who saves people? That's a lofty goal." He smiled amusedly.

"Laugh all you want, detective, but everything I did, I did with good and positive intentions. The money and goods I stole, the people I killed, all of it was to provide support, comfort, and stability to my allies. These people were also left in the gray, shunned, mocked, and/or rejected by the black and whites of society. I gave them a positive place where they could be themselves and not be judged. I gave them a place to belong."

"The League of Villains." Tsukauchi concluded with a raised brow and Karma nodded.

"Yes. They were my friends, and my family. Every single one of those individuals I cared for and wanted to help. In order to do so I was determined to change people's perspectives of us, but at that moment we were all just the evil villains. No one saw the hurt, no one saw the desperation or poverty, no one saw the need for acceptance and understanding."

"Are you telling me that we are supposed to sympathize with thieves and murderers?" He frowned and Izumi sighed heavily, her chains rattling as she readjusted her sitting position.

"I suppose it's too much to expect you or anyone else to sympathize with me or people like me. You're all too blinded by the shining beacon that All Might represented. The image of the perfect hero society that everyone except those that were rejected by it fell in love with."

There was an eerie silence and Karma's gaze turned colder and full of animosity.

"The real problem with that world is it's blind to the gray pieces like us. We're all lost, not sure what side we belong to so we get ignored, used, abused. Blacks and Whites don't know how to play with pieces like us. I built this game no one knows how to play and I'm having to take it upon myself to teach it to others... but it's difficult to get people to listen. Killing people, destroying things, and lying to others shouldn't be the answer, but it's the only thing that gets people's attention."

"You killed, in order to gain attention?" The fierceness of Karma's stare made him sweat. She was only sixteen, but she was talking about death and politics as if she'd seen a hundred lifetimes.

"No, but that's just how it worked out. I'd fully intended to be a hero despite all the lying I'd done… but once I killed Endeavor, it was the final nail in the coffin. I'd killed someone before, but it had been done with good intentions."

"Murder is murder, even with good intentions, Karma." Tsukauchi pointed out and earned a sharp look.

"Well he's not really dead now is he? Still… I never considered it a crime, I considered it man had been manipulating me into doing his dirty work. He forced Tomura and I into a situation we had no business being in, prioritizing his own wants and desires over the safety and well being of the tortured souls he'd taken under his wing." She broke the tension by smiling wickedly and had to laugh at the image she created in her head. She leaned her face into her knuckles, a gesture she'd learned from mimicking her mentor.

"Now that I think about it, it's hard to imagine All for One showing any kind of true sympathy. I'd been such a foolish child believing his lies and clinging onto his support. Before him, no one had ever supported my dream of becoming a hero, not even my own mother. He only did it because he wanted to turn me into a weapon… and that's exactly what he got."

"So I see…" Tsukauchi pulled out a folder. Deciding a fresh topic would be good, he pulled out a still from Endeavor's trial video. "Tell me about Endeavor." Karma's eyes lit with irritation. She flicked that sharp gaze in his direction, making the veteran detective shudder and nervously twirl his pen. "Please?"

"Killing that man should have been the one death that I'd have no regrets about… but it turned out to be the death I regret the most." She sighed heavily and lounged back in her chair. "The videos the league posted were meant for propaganda. I hired a team from the underground network, and all of our recordings were broadcast from there. It was meant to give us exposure, and popularity so that I could voice my thoughts and opinions and collectively sway the masses. None of them were done without purpose."

"...and what purpose did Endeavor's death signify?"

"There were a number of things. At the time I was still in school and hiding my true intentions so the video of his death was meant to serve as an alibi. I couldn't be absent every time Karma and the league appeared or it would rouse suspicion. It was also a test of my plans to see how people reacted and how the video would be responded to. Frankly, Endeavor was not meant to be the first victim… but he became a victim because of my hatred for his existence."

"So his death was also of personal significance?"

"Yes… because here was a man who was the epitome of everything I despised about society. He was arrogant, rude, abrasive, and yet he was worshipped and praised for his hero work. He was a man who had wealth, fame, good looks, and family… but he took it all for granted choosing to focus on his image and work. His sickness... as my husband would call it… was the perfect example of what hero society could do to someone who should have held the world in the palm of his hand."

"So you decided to execute him because he went against everything you believed in?" Tsukauchi questioned.

"That was the excuse I gave… but in actuality it was all smoke and mirrors to hide the mistakes I'd made." She glanced over Tsukauchi's shoulder to where she knew she was being watched. Unbeknownst to her, she locked eyes with Shoto. "I am… or at least I was friends with his son Shoto. He's someone I admire because he has such amazing talent and drive, and there's this kindness hiding within his heart. He has the potential to become a true hero, a selfless and genuine hero. It was all being tarnished and withdrawn, because of the animosity he felt towards his father. I could see his motives were becoming selfish and black, and I hated it."

She shifted positions again, taking a deep breath and averting her eyes. She would NOT get emotional.

"During the Sports Festival, Endeavor became frustrated with his son because the boy held back his true power… but what Endeavor didn't realize was that HE was the very thing holding Shoto back. Even after I pointed it out to him, warned him to stop holding Shoto's leash or he would never reach his true potential. He refused to listen. He was still blinded by his ambitions and tried to use me to keep Shoto on his leash after I worked so hard to tug him free from it. When that didn't work he tried to blackmail me by digging too deep into my personal life and thus paid the price for it. I lashed out, lost control of my quirk for only a minute… and the deed was done."

There was a long silence as Tsukauchi stared into Karma's face which held mixed emotions. There was anger there, oh yes, but also a deep grief.

"I hated him…" Izumi admitted and covered her eyes to hide the tears welling up. "I hated him so much for what he'd done to Shoto, and to someone else I knew. I hated him because of the things he did that were left unseen by the world. Most of all I hated him because he was like a mirror image of myself. We both had so much to be grateful for, so much potential to help others and make a difference… but lost it all because we were so desperate to follow a man far beyond our reach."

The tears slipped down as that epiphany weighed heavily on her heart. She hadn't meant to get so emotional during this interview… but she'd once again lost herself in the moment.

"Now I get it." Mirio held his chin, recalling the way Izumi had reacted back in the labyrinth. "That explains her sudden outlash at Chisaki. Her heart and her mind are constantly at war, as if she's struggling with two different personas."

"Yeah, I've seen it." Bakugo grit his teeth, remembering his own brush with death. "One is the Izumi we all know, and the other is Karma; the villain persona created by Tomura and All for One."

"I doubt she'll ever just be one whole person again." Aizawa said with some remorse. "Once you've been split down the middle like that, it's nearly impossible to put the pieces to rights again."

"All Might…" The group heard Izumi speak again and ensnared their attention once again. "He was everything to me growing up. He and my best friend Kacchan were my aspiration in everything I did. They taught me how important it is to care about other people, how important it is to believe in yourself, and how to remain strong and never give up. I was so excited when I finally met All Might in person. It was like being struck by lightning, so fast and dizzying. I was so happy and ecstatic, so overwhelmed with the emotions welling up inside me that I babled."

For a moment the true Izumi came out, smiling happily even through the tears as she recalled the happier times in her life. From behind the glass All Might watched. He could see where the girl's passion stemmed from, could see that he and young Bakugo meant a great deal to her… and it was beautiful to witness.

The moment didn't last, because Izumi's face quickly faltered and the smile faded. Her face lined with shadows, and she lowered her head to increase them.

"It wasn't until the moment he turned his back to me that I felt the difference in our standings. His form shadowed me, and my dream felt so far away. Even as I reached forward to grasp onto it…" she lifted her arms up for effect, and she could feel every hero and police guard tense up. She flicked her fingers out, but her quirk was suppressed and nothing came free. "It slipped right through my fingers and left me with nothing but lost hope."

"Little Midori…" All Might whispered feeling emotional. He'd let this girl down in so many ways. He'd become the pillar and symbol he'd worked so hard to be… but he failed to execute what he taught. True Heroism.

"When Tomura and All for One offered me a chance to fulfill that dream, I desperately clung onto it." Izumi continued relaxing back in her chair. "...and just couldn't let go."

"What about your friend? Didn't he support you at all?"

"No…" She looked up, a tear streaking down her cheek. "In fact, he discouraged me the most. He didn't think I was strong enough, no one did. He thought my dreams and ambitions would get me killed. In the end," she laughed bitterly. "I guess he was right. I was never meant to be a hero."

"Usagi…" Bakugo hung his head tears dripping down his cheeks. He felt All Might's hand on his shoulder.

"Keep listening, young Bakugo. Save your tears and regrets after we've heard everything."

Bakugo sniffed back and violently wiped at his tears. His eyes never left Izumi's as she talked for over an hour, giving Tsukauchi every detail she deemed important. The detective's notebook was filled with little anecdotes about locations she'd been, and people she met. True to her word she provided the names and quirks of those she aligned herself with, and more than once she teared up unable to help herself.

"I'm sorry…" Regret and guilt thick in her voice, Izumi tried to laugh it off. "I didn't mean get so emotional… after all, it's not like you guys can sympathize with people like us."

"Karma…" Tsukauchi's eyes saddened and his tone softened.

"It's fine, detective… no need to give me that look. I moved past it, and I was able to help some people like I wanted. The Hassaikai can start over. Kai can move on and hopefully find the strength to interact with others. I helped the man I love pull away from revenge and gave others purpose in life. I saved Kota from being killed, and influenced him to save someone else. In my eyes that is more than any villain has ever accomplished. So long as those people can keep living, and keep playing their own individual games… then I can be content with the way my own played out."

**~Post interrogation~**

Well she'd said everything she wanted to say. There was nothing left to do but to accept her fate. As the police took her outside to the waiting car, All Might, Mirio, Eraser, Bakugo and Todoroki all stood together watching. As their eyes met, and she smiled, all of them expected her to unleash a grand scheme, and escape...

...but she would have to disappoint them.

She allowed herself to be escorted into the armored car, photographers capturing the moment, and the world taking a collective sigh of relief as she was put into custody and driven off to Tartarus.

"It's over now." Aizawa sighed with relief.

"Is it really?" Shoto clenched his fist and looked at it. "Something still feels off."

"Same here… wasn't this a bit too easy?" Mirio agreed.

"I agree, but the entire highway has been cleared away to give them straight passage." All Might explained. "There's no chance for any member of the league to intervene. Karma's fate is now in the hands of the people in that car, and behind the gates of Tartarus."

"Let's go back to school. You all have had a long couple of days, and should get some rest." Aizawa pat both of them on the shoulder, then motioned them to the transport.

In the armored vehicle, Karma listened to the sounds around her. The rush of wind outside, the rattling of metal as the car shifted and accelerated towards their destination. Her eyes slowly opened, and she eyed the guard in front of her.

"So…" She let the smug smile spread across her lips. "Did I buy enough time?"

"Mmmhmm" The guard smiled at her, his face and body melting away to reveal Toga who grinned at her. "Plenty."

"Good girl…" She laughed and shifted uncomfortably. "Now get me out of here."

"Okey Dokey!" Toga filed through the keys on her belt then pulled out the right one to release Karma from her box and chains.

"Thanks," Karma rubbed her raw wrists and knocked briskly on the back window of the van. Twice slipped it open, his eyes looking a little crazed from having to stand without his mask for so long. "How soon before we reach Tartarus?"

"GPS says twenty minutes, My Queen." Compress spoke from the driver's seat. "All of us have already gone over the blueprints, and protocol of Tartarus prison that Ace downloaded onto that USB. We should past customs with no problem."

"Good…" She plucked up the silver case Twice passed through the window and looked inside to see her old costume as well as the gun and quirk removal bullets the heroes had taken off her after the battle. Ace and his contacts had come through with getting it all liberated from police custody. "I take it Gentle, and La Brava conceded to our plans?"

"Yes, Turns out Gentle and La Brava are both supporters of yours. La Brava in particular was excited to participate. They await your signal."

"Excellent…" She finished dressing, her gloves slipping on and fire sprouting free from her hair and fingertips. Taking a deep breath Karma once again felt like herself and her eyes turned sly. "Let's get this show on the road."

**~Tartarus Prison~**

The van pulled into customs, and as Compress predicted it passed with no issue. Once at the loading dock, the area became surrounded by police and heroes, all of them knowing exactly who was expected to come though.

Karma could hear footsteps approaching, and the rattle of keys. Taking front and center she lifted up her facemask into place hiding the wicked smile underneath.

"The final boss level starts in 3…2...1..." the doors unlock and she reveled in the shocked faces of the guards on duty. "NOW!" She unleashed a blaze, engulfing the entire loading dock in blue fire. Toga, Twice, and Compress then sprinted to action, taking out the remaining foes at the dock.

"Good work everyone…" Karma pressed a finger to the comlink in her ear. "La Brava, this is Karma, are you online?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" La Brava giggled through the comlink. "All the exterior weapon systems have been deactivated and the others are in my control. We are making our descent now."

"Excellent work, master hacker." Karma grinned and looked up as the sound of a plane rushed over them. She spotted a single figure skydiving down and Gentle landed with flourish atop the car.

"Gentle Criminal, at your service, your majesty!" He bowed and leapt down to her on one knee.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Gentle." She motioned him to rise. "We haven't much time before this place goes on high alert. The weapon systems and sensors may be temporary offline but there are still strong heroes here for extra security so everyone stay on your guard."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

Karma smiled, more genuinely this time, and placed a finger to her ear again.

"La Brava… you're with me. Track my movements and guide me to my destination" She looked around at the crew. "As for the rest of you, play distraction, but don't get yourselves captured or killed. Understood?"

"Yes!"

"Good…" She turned her back to them and confidently strolled into The Gates of Hell.

**~Five minutes later~**

Karma opened the doors to the holding chamber of her quarry. She stepped up, calmly and silently, and greeted them with an eager smile.

"Hello, Sensei."

"I must admit you never cease to amaze me my girl." All for One smiled as Karma came around to stand in front of him. "To think you've gone through all the trouble of breaking into Tartarus just to kill me."

"Now who said anything about killing you?" She reached into her duster, loading up and pressing her gun to his forehead.

"No one…" He laughed and pushed against the barrel, the edge molding against the wrinkled skin of his forehead. "...but what do you plan to do with this, if not to kill me?"

"It's a gift from my husband. He knew how much I wanted revenge on you, but killing you would hardly justify the things you've done." She pointed out pressing the gun firmly against his head. "The punishment has to fit the crime."

"Hmmm if your plan is not to kill me, do you mean to take my quirk away from me?" He laughed again. "I'd heard rumors about such a serum before I was imprisoned here… but it was far from complete."

"Oh it's complete… and I have the only bullets that were ever made." She boasted.

"Is that a fact?" The smugness in his voice didn't deter. "Such an honest girl you are, telling me the truth."

"Me? Honest? Don't make me laugh." Her hair flared with bright blue flames as her finger pressed the trigger. The bullet landed point blank against his forehead, jerking him back in his chair. "I'm your daughter, after all… so I'm anything but honest."

"That hurt!" He grit his teeth even in his attempt to laugh. "Taking away my quirk isn't going to change your fate. Even without it I'm more powerful than you can possibly…" he stopped talking, His body going numb and his quirks shutting off one by one. Still something else was happening… there was a massive pounding in his head, and he struggled to keep his thoughts together. "W-What did you…"

"It's true that Kai created bullets to specifically target a person's quirks," she opened the case holding out the bullets in question. All the red were still in the pretty velvet, but the blue one was gone. "...However, the kind of bullet I used was the only one of its kind he ever made. As a special request from me Kai rearranged the formula so that it would instead attack the brain itself. It will destroy not only your quirks, but all of your senses and cognitive thought.."

"Why you…" He spat and tried to speak, his mouth flapping around trying to form words. "You bitch!"

"The punishment must fit the crime. sensei." Her smile slowly spread as she enjoyed watching the man struggle and writhe against the affects of her serum. She tapped her temple laughing. "The last time we met you tried to break my mind and make me a lifeless doll. As punishment for this I've decided to do the same to you. Soon you'll be nothing but a vegetable."

"Kill you… I will kill you!" He struggled against his restraints, his mouth gurgling and foaming as he fought against its side effects. He'd always been the calm and confident sort of man, and seeing him like this was exactly what she'd been hoping for.

"You can try… but my mind will never break. So I don't care if you're just another copy. I don't care if you somehow come back from the damage I've inflicted. I'll play this little game of ours anytime you like, because the thrill of beating you, seeing this pathetic look on your face as I defeat you time and time again, is nothing short of sweet."

She watched him struggle to speak, watched his body go limp in his chair and his head toss back. For a moment she stood in silence, waiting for him to retort or lash out. When all he did was drool, she clucked her tongue.

"Guess this means visiting hours are over." She holstered the gun and tucked her hands in her jacket. "Goodbye, Sensei. Let's play another time. Perhaps in our next life." She walked calmly past him, the smug smile refusing to leave her lips.

She casually exited the chamber, the door locking behind her, and strolled down the hallway. She could hear the commotion of Gentle's assault further down and sighed. "Seems like getting out is gonna be harder than getting in. We're gonna need some more help."

She glanced around at the nearby cells peeking in each one. Her eyes glimmered as she spotted a familiar face and her smile widened even more.

"Well hello my old friend. Would you like to come and play with us?" She pressed the release button, the shackles coming undone and the figure taking two steps forward. She looked up at the massive figure, it's bird shape head and dead eyes were as friendly and welcoming to her as a warm hug. "Nomu…" She reached up so she could touch activate the places on its body to bring it under her control. It let out a low squawking sound as its brain activated and synched with hers. "There you are… long time no see, old friend. Shall we go have some fun?"

Its massive body crouched down so she could climb upon his shoulder. Sitting like a queen on her throne she casually crossed her legs and pointed forward towards the sounds of battle.

"Go, Nomu!"

Nomu wailed it's battle cry, his body sprinting through the hall and towards the heroes who had Gentile cornered and ready to capture. With a huge swing of its arm Nomu knocked aside everyone in his way and turned to take the hits from the oncoming assault.

"You alright there, Gentle?" Karma climbed off Nomu's shoulder and reached a hand out for him.

"Yes, My Queen." He took her hand kissing it gently before raising. "They caught me off guard is all."

"Good, our work here is done." She placed a finger to her comlink. "La Brava, it's time. Get us out of here."

"RODGER!" La Brava's voice came over the speaker and the security monitor above them flickered on. The security system activates and all guns and security functions take aim, but at the heroes instead.

With their attention diverted to defending themselves against Tartarus' security programs, Karma, Gentle and Nomu break through the crowd of heroes and guards and make it to the outside where Compress, Toga, and Twice waited with the airborne "Black Steed."

"Hurry up Queeny!" Toga waved her hands giggling. "Or we're leaving withoutcha!"

"Oi what's with bird boy?" Twice pointed at Nomu. "He wasn't part of the plan."

"He's a bonus!" Izumi pat Nomu's arm as they all get on board. She turned around as more heroes rushed out to stop them. "Sorry boys, but maybe you'll have better luck catching me next time!"

"Say cheese!" La Brava laughed as she video taped the final scene. Izumi lit her hand ablaze and sent a massive wall of flame to block their pursuits. The aircraft took off, blowing her trench behind her. La Brava watched from behind the lense, loving how the silhouette made it appear as if a bird of prey was taking flight. "So cool!"

**~England: One Month Later~**

"H-How… a...ar...aray?"

"It's, how are you, Kota." Touya sat beside Kota at the breakfast nook, helping him practice his English. "Remember the "E" here is silent."

"If it's silent, then why have it?" He pouted and shoved the worksheet away. "This is so stupid. We've been here for two months and I'm not getting any better. I wanna go back to Japan."

"You know we can't, Kota." Touya sighed heavily and ruffled his hair. "Izumi told me to keep the two of you safe and hidden. We're better off here, where no one knows our faces." He stood up and gathered the dishes from their snacks.

"Yeah well Izumi's not here is she?" Kota pouted leaning his face in his hands. "Are you sure she didn't get captured?"

"You saw the video didn't you?" He spoke of La Brava's video which had gone viral. The entire world had seen Karma and her new allies break down Tartarus defenses and make total fools of the occupants inside. "Besides Ace verified that she's been in hiding. The police and heroes are out looking for her everywhere, and Japan's in total chaos right now. it's no place for us at the moment."

"Touya…" Eri's soft voice caught his attention and he peeked around the counter to see her rubbing her eyes.

"Finally awake I see… Has the pain in your horn stopped?" When she nodded he walked around the counter and knelt down, placing a hand on her forehead. "Looks like your fever is gone too. That's good."

"I'm thirsty…" she held her throat. "May I have some juice?"

"Sure, do you want me to take off the cuffs?" He gently grabbed her wrists which were suppressing her quirk.

"No… This is better. I don't want to lose control again." She held her wrist, shaking like a leaf. "Never again."

Touya sighed and rubbed the top of her head again. A few days ago, Eri's quirk had activated suddenly. The nanny he had hired to watch the kids while he did his research had been reduced to infancy, before Kota had the idea of putting one of the emergency restriction cuffs on her.

The event had been frightening for all parties, and had gained them attention they didn't need. Still it was a hurdle they bypassed. The Nanny's family members hadn't pressed charges, no one asked any imposing questions or made accusations. It had been written off as a "quirk accident" and he'd been given a mandatory notice to enroll both Kota and Eri into beginners quirk classes.

A small price to pay for a huge blunder like that.

"Okay… let me get you that juice." He stood up and walked to the fridge. It had been two months since he'd left Japan and started a new life in England. Without a quirk he wouldn't have been much use during the grand scheme Izumi planned out. All the information he was being given had come from Ace, probably as a precaution in case the heroes were tracking Izumi's movements. Still, he missed her. He hadn't seen her face in so long, and really wished she would contact him… somehow.

As he poured Eri's juice he heard the doorbell ring and gave a heavy sigh. Probably more neighbors coming to poke around. Didn't anyone in this country believe in privacy? He gave Eri her juice and walked to the door. Peeking through the peephole he spotted a pretty blonde with sunglasses. From the way she was dressed he guessed she was a saleswoman of some sort… all neat and polished in a business suit and high heels.

"Ugh, vultures." he complained as he opened the door and scowled down at the woman. "Whatever it is we don't want any."

"I am sorry, I must be confused…" the thick russian accent made his brow raise. "I am looking for a man named Touya. Are you him?"

"That's me, what the hell do you want?" He crossed his arms scowling.

"Ah forgive me, my english is not so good. Do you perhaps speak… Japanese?" Her accent faded and she tilted the glasses down then off to reveal a familiar pair of bright green eyes.

"Izumi?" Touya looked at her wide eyed and he let out an oof as she leapt up and hugged him knocking them both onto the floor. Her mouth attached to his, and the blonde wig slipped off and all that soft green hair came spilling out. Touya ran fingers through it, taking a firm grip as he kissed her back with just as much fervor and passion.

At the sound of her name both Kota and Eri rush to the front door. Ecstatic, and then grossed out seeing the two make out, Kota rushed at them and pried the two apart.

"Izumi! You're here!" He squeezed himself through and hugged her tightly. "You're finally here!"

"Hello Kota." She laughed and hugged him. "Yes I'm here. I'm sorry it took me so long."

"Izumi!" Eri joined and hugged her other side. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, Eri-chan." She nuzzled her and breathed both of them in. The weight of the world, and the fatigue she'd been feeling all fell away as she embraced the two happy kids.

"I appreciate this touching moment, but the door is wide open and you three are heavy. Mind getting off?" Touya complained and had her laughing.

"Sorry about that." She stood up and grabbed her suitcase before closing the door behind her. She walked inside and admired the small house. It looked so beautiful and cozy on the outside with its small garden and stone decor. Despite it being a bit dated, all the appliances and essentials had been upgraded, and made the best of both worlds.

"Nice place you found. Rental?"

"Bought outright," he corrected. "No one's been touching the false charity funds so I've been using the account. Turns out you've got some investors who've been adding to it, unbeknownst to them it's a fake charity."

"Really?" Izumi held her chin as an idea started to form, but she put it on the back burner for now. "A thought for later… for now why don't you show me around and help me get unpacked. I'll give you the deets of what's been going on."

"Sounds good," He looked to the kids. "Why don't you two go outside for awhile so Izumi and I can talk?"

"EH!?" Both pouted making Izumi laugh.

"Don't worry," She crouched and touched both their cheeks. "I'm not going anywhere for awhile. Play outside for a time, and I promise when we're done we can spend as much time together as you want."

"Okay…" Kota pouted but took Eri's hand and led her outside.

"You've certainly got a way with kids, Izumi." Touya complimented and helped her unpack in the master suite.

"Mmmm…" She gave back a muted response catching his attention. He could see those wheels in her head turning even as she did the mundane project of unpacking clothes and putting them on hangers. It was a sight he'd missed the most.

He took every opportunity to touch her: a brush of fingers, bumping hips, a quick affectionate kiss. His whole world was being put back to rights again. Without her he felt a bit lost, trying to fit into society which was something he'd avoided most of his life. Now that she was here, and they were together, he could find his footing again. She would have a plan of some sort on her agenda, and he'd stay by her side helping anyway he could.

That was just how he liked it.

"Sure took your time getting here." He complained when they put the last of her equipment away. "What kept you?"

"I'm sorry. I was avoiding police for the better part of two weeks while I made my travel plans. I would have been here yesterday, but Compress insisted upon seeing the sights."

"Compress came with you?" His brow raised curiously.

"Just as a tour guide. The league's all back in Japan now and under Tomura's supervision. With All for One out of commission he's officially breaking out on his own and taking command of the situation there."

"You're just gonna let him have the reigns?" He raised a brow and smirked. "Doesn't sound like you."

"He can have the attention… for now anyway." She smirked back but then her eyes averted his. "As a plea bargain for the Hassaikai I gave up a great deal of league information. Nothing too detrimental… names, quirks, things they would have found out eventually through repeated contact."

"Was Tomura pissed?"

"No… surprisingly enough he was very supportive. He says he's got a plan of his own now, and to leave the destruction of society to him." She sighed heavily and sat on the edge of the bed rubbing her hands together. "He can have it. I've decided to take an extended vacation, anyway."

"For how long?" He sat next to her showing concern. He wondered if she'd gotten injured. She did look drained, and peakish. The aftermath of Tartarus and the damage she'd inflicted on the Hassaikai must have been taking its toll.

"I'm not sure…" She swallowed hard, and decided to rip off the bandaid. "...but at least nine months."

"Nine… what?" All the color suddenly drained out of his face as he watched Izumi place a shaky hand over her stomach.

"Touya…" She lifts her head smiling tearily at him. "I'm pregnant."

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: DONE! Midori the Queen is officially capped, but the saga isn't over. I'll be working on Kingdom Hearts for a time so I'm not sure when I'll post the next story, but I promise it won't be too long of a wait. So be sure to be on the lookout for the final story of this epic triology:**_

_**Midori the Phoenix**_


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